Horseshoe Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 31°57′03″S115°51′34″E / 31.950854°S 115.859361°E |
Carries | William Street |
Locale | Perth, Western Australia |
Type | State Registered Place |
Designated | 4 August 1992 |
Reference no. | 2153 |
Location | |
The Horseshoe Bridge in Perth, Western Australia is a traffic bridge that connects the Perth CBD to Northbridge, carrying William Street. It was constructed in 1904 to pass over the Fremantle railway line, with the horseshoe shape designed to fit the approach ramps into a constricted site.
The Horseshoe Bridge is a classically inspired brick and stucco traffic bridge located in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. The bridge connects the Perth CBD to Northbridge by allowing traffic to continue along William Street and was originally designed to pass over the surface level railway lines that for many years existed to the west of Perth railway station. The bridge's name is derived from its shape: a horseshoe. This design was an innovative solution to the problem of bridging a railway within tight urban constraints.
The bridge is a handsome structure of its period and a very sophisticated piece of urban design. The main structural elements of the bridge are of steel, and it is supported by a series of semi-circular arches with rendered decorative treatment. Many of the arches on the Wellington Street elevation have been enclosed with glass, which in the past created shop fronts to retail spaces behind. The balustrades are rendered concrete and sculptures of swans decorate the end piers. These were specifically designed for the bridge project. [1]
It is well integrated within its context and its value goes beyond mere transport. The winding form adds vitality to the Perth railway station precinct and the architecture contributes to the streetscape of Wellington Street.
The bridge has four traffic lanes. The western footpath of the bridge has an entry point to Yagan Square. The eastern footpath formerly gave direct access to the train station which was later removed when it became a gated station.
The bridge was constructed in 1904 to reduce train-induced traffic congestion in William Street. During the last decade of the 19th century, WA's Engineer-in-Chief, C. Y. O'Connor, had overseen the construction of Perth's suburban railway system, which radiated out from a central railway station in Wellington Street in the city. As the line effectively cut the city off from its northern suburbs, a number of bridges and level crossings had to be built to connect the two areas. A bridge over the railway was constructed between Barrack and Beaufort Streets in 1894, as well as two pedestrian crossings, however by the mid 1890s there were seven lines and the William Street crossing was closed for most of the day as railway traffic continued to increase.
In a site with no land for approaches, the shape of the proposed William Street bridge was chosen as the only viable option for achieving the necessary gradients for horsedrawn vehicles. It was initially unpopular in some circles because it replaced the two pedestrian overpasses and the shape of the new bridge meant that pedestrians had to walk a great deal further to pass over the railway lines. [2] Overall however, traffic increased strongly, with a favourable impact on the commercial development of William Street. Traffic could now pass between the northern and southern parts of the city independently of railway traffic and without the delays at the William Street crossing.
The bridge is one of the oldest surviving bridges in central Perth. Structurally it has been modified to accommodate heavier vehicles, but the work has been undertaken in a manner that preserves the authenticity of the original design. The bridge enjoys heritage recognition, including listings on the Heritage Council's State Register of Heritage Places, [3] the Register of the National Estate, City of Perth's Municipal Inventory and the National Trust. [4]
In 1986, the bridge carried approximately 18,000 vehicles per day into the city. The bridge was closed on 30 November 2009 for restoration and conversion to two-way traffic. It was expected to remain closed for four months. [5] The bridge was reopened with two-way traffic on 26 June 2010, just under three months later than originally planned. [6]
In the early 2010s the Perth City Link project sunk the railway lines the bridge was originally designed to pass over, with Yagan Square constructed atop the now freed up land to the immediate west of the bridge. Despite this, the Horseshoe Bridge still remains as a major traffic link into the CBD. [2]
The William Jolly Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge over the Brisbane River between North Quay in the Brisbane central business district and Grey Street in South Brisbane, within City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Harding Frew and built from 1928 to 1932 by MR Hornibrook.
In civil engineering, grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a mixture of roads, footpaths, railways, canals, or airport runways. Bridges, tunnels, or a combination of both can be built at a junction to achieve the needed grade separation.
Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport, Armadale, Fremantle, Midland, and Thornlie lines as well as Transwa's Australind service. It is also directly connected to Perth Underground railway station, which has the Yanchep and Mandurah lines.
Graham Farmer Freeway is a 6.4-kilometre (4.0 mi) inner-city freeway in Perth, Western Australia. It links Rivervale and Burswood with West Perth and Leederville, providing an east-west bypass of Perth's central business district.
The Causeway is an arterial traffic crossing in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park. It is carried over the Swan River at the eastern end of Perth Water by two bridges on either side of Heirisson Island. The current Causeway is the third structure to have been built across the river at this point.
Barrack Street is one of two major cross-streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. Together with St Georges Terrace, Wellington Street and William Street it defines the boundary of the main shopping precinct of the central city.
Princes Bridge, originally Prince's Bridge, is a bridge in central Melbourne, Australia that spans the Yarra River. It is built on the site of one of the oldest river crossings in the city, and forms a gateway into the central city from the south. The bridge connects Swanston Street on the north bank of the Yarra River to St Kilda Road on the south bank, and carries road, tram and pedestrian traffic. The present bridge was built in 1888 and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Hay Street is a major road through the central business district of Perth, Western Australia and adjacent suburbs. The street was named after Robert William Hay, the Permanent Under Secretary for Colonies. Sections of the road were called Howick Street and Twiss Street until 1897. One block in the central business section is now a pedestrian mall with extremely limited vehicular traffic, so that it is necessary to make a significant detour in order to drive the entire length of Hay Street.
Wellington Street is the northernmost of the four primary east-west streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It is 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) long, stretching from Plain Street in East Perth to Thomas Street in West Perth.
William Street is a suburban distributor and one of two major cross-streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. Commencing in western Mount Lawley, its route takes it through the Northbridge café and nightclub district as well as the CBD.
Beaufort Street is a major road in the inner north-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting the Morley area to the Perth central business district. For most of its length, it is a single-carriageway, two-way road with two lanes in each direction.
Perth City Link is an urban renewal and redevelopment project in Perth, Western Australia.
Tourism in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, is an important part of the Australian state's economy, contributing to the prosperity of businesses in the city, as well as other regions of the state.
Northbridge is an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia, historically separated from Perth's central business district by the Fremantle and Joondalup railway lines. It is part of the City of Perth local government area.
Barrack Street Bridge is the second crossing of the Eastern Railway line at its location just north of the Barrack Street intersection with Wellington Street at the eastern end of the Perth Railway Station yard in Perth, Western Australia. Despite its name the bridge carries Beaufort Street, although it has been called Beaufort Street Bridge.
Yagan Square is a public space and a component of the Perth City Link in Perth, Western Australia. It is situated between the Horseshoe Bridge and the Perth Busport in the eastern part of the Perth City Link precinct, occupying 1.1 hectares. Construction of the square began in February 2016, and it was opened on 3 March 2018. It is named after the Aboriginal warrior Yagan.
Garratt Road Bridge consists of two adjacent bridges over the Swan River, linking the suburbs of Bayswater and Ascot in Perth, Western Australia. The upstream bridge was built in 1935, while the matching downstream bridge was built in 1972. The site was significant prior to the construction of Garratt Road Bridge – it featured in Aboriginal mythology, and was in the near vicinity of 1880s bridges for pedestrians and trains accessing Ascot Racecourse. From that time there were various proposal to provide a vehicular crossing between Bayswater and Bassendean. Interest peaked in 1928, but plans were delayed due to the Great Depression. The first bridge, designed by Main Roads Chief Engineer Ernest Godfrey, was constructed in 1934–35. It allowed two lanes of traffic to cross the Swan River, alongside pedestrians on an adjacent footbridge.
Roe Street is a street in Perth, Western Australia. The central section of the street forms the southern boundary of the suburb of Northbridge, while the eastern end borders the Perth Cultural Centre to the north and Perth railway station to the south. The southern approach of the Hamilton Interchange, which connects the Mitchell Freeway and the Graham Farmer Freeway, passes over the street to the west.
Perth Underground railway station is a railway station within the Perth central business district in Western Australia. It is adjacent to the above-ground Perth railway station and is sometimes considered part of that station. Perth Underground station is served by Yanchep line services heading north and Mandurah line services heading south. It was built as part of the construction for the Mandurah line and was known as William Street station during construction due to its location on William Street. Perth Underground station consists of an island platform and a concourse below ground. There are five entrances to the station: from Murray Street Mall, Raine Square, 140 William Street, underneath the Horseshoe Bridge, and from Perth station.