Tom 'Diver' Derrick Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 34°50′18″S138°30′25″E / 34.838283°S 138.506806°E |
Carries | Port River Expressway |
Crosses | Port River |
Locale | Lefevre Peninsula |
Named for | Tom Derrick |
Owner | Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure |
Preceded by | Mary MacKillop Bridge |
Followed by | Birkenhead Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Design | Single-leaf bascule bridge |
Total length | 303 metres (994 ft) |
Height | 10 metres (33 ft) |
No. of lanes | 4 |
History | |
Constructed by | Abigroup |
Opened | 1 August 2008 |
Location | |
The Tom 'Diver' Derrick Bridge, commonly referred to as the 'Diver' Derrick Bridge, is an opening single-leaf bascule road bridge over the Port River, Port Adelaide, in South Australia. It opened on 1 August 2008. It is located between Docks 1 and 2 at Port Adelaide and links to Francis Street to the east and Victoria Road to the west. [1]
The bridge was the subject of a successful community campaign, spearheaded by the local Semaphore & Port Adelaide RSL Sub-Branch and the Portside Messenger newspaper, to name it after Port Adelaide World War II hero, Tom 'Diver' Derrick instead of the State Government's unpopular choice of the Power Bridge.
For years, debate raged in Port Adelaide about the need for a third crossing over the Port River, in addition to the existing Birkenhead and Jervois bridges. Ideas for the crossing included an under-river tunnel, closed bridge, causeway and opening bridge. In the early 2000s the State Government announced the Port River Expressway project, a highway linking Port Adelaide to Adelaide's northern suburbs. The project included a closed bridge across the Port River. However the Port Adelaide community were concerned a closed bridge would cut-off the Port River and block larger boats from accessing the port's inner harbour. After a strong community campaign, the State Government agreed to build a high-level single-leaf bascule opening bridge. Abigroup was awarded the tender to build the bridge in 2005 and construction began the following year. [2] It opened on 1 August 2008. [3] [4]
Both road and rail bridges were originally referred to as the PRExy Bridges, short for Port River Expressway. In 2004, South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced the road crossing would be named the 'Power Bridge' after the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Later in 2005, it was suggested the bridge be named after Derrick. This idea gradually garnered grassroots support in Port Adelaide. [5] In May 2008, the Portside Messenger collected a 3,500 signature petition in support of the Derrick name. [6] Port Adelaide-Enfield Council also unanimously supported naming the bridge after Derrick. On 5 June 2008, the State Government announced it had changed its mind and would name the bridge after Derrick. [7] [8]
Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route.
The Adelaide rail network is a metropolitan suburban rail system serving the city of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It consists of 89 railway stations across 7 lines, which served a patronage of 15.6 million people over the year 2018-19. Keolis Downer under contract from the Government of South Australia operates the Adelaide suburban rail system. The operations are set to be handed back to the hands of the public by January 2025.
The Port River is part of a tidal estuary located north of the Adelaide city centre in the Australian state of South Australia. It has been used as a shipping channel since the beginning of European settlement of South Australia in 1836, when Colonel Light selected the site to use as a port. Before colonisation, the Port River region and the estuary area were known as Yerta Bulti by the Kaurna people, and used extensively as a source of food and plant materials to fashion artefacts used in daily life.
Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the city of Adelaide. Port Adelaide played an important role in the formative decades of Adelaide and South Australia, with the port being early Adelaide's main supply and information link to the rest of the world. Its Kaurna name, although not officially adopted as a dual name, is Yertabulti.
Taperoo is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia, located on the Lefevre Peninsula in the west of Adelaide, about 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-west of the Adelaide city centre.
Alberton railway station is the junction station for the Outer Harbor and Port Dock lines. Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Alberton, it is 10.2 kilometres from Adelaide station. The station is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.
Port Dock railway station is the terminus of the Port Dock line, located on Baker Street, Port Adelaide. The first station was located in the commercial centre at the corner of St Vincent Street and Lipson Street and served as the original terminus of the railway between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, which opened in 1856.
The Dry Creek–Port Adelaide railway line is an eight-kilometre east–west freight railway line running through Adelaide's north-western suburbs. The line is managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and is an important link between Port Adelaide, Pelican Point and the main interstate rail routes which link Adelaide with Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Sydney. Prior to 1988, a limited local passenger service operated, stopping at five intermediate stations along the line. Since May 1988, the line has been freight-only.
South Road and its southern section as Main South Road outside of Adelaide is a major north–south conduit connecting Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, in South Australia. It is one of Adelaide's most important arterial and bypass roads. As South Road, it is designated part of route A2 within suburban Adelaide. As Main South Road, it is designated part of routes A13 and B23.
Outer Harbor is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia located at the northern tip of the Lefevre Peninsula about 22 kilometres (14 mi) north-west of the Adelaide city centre.
Birkenhead is a north-western suburb of Adelaide 14 km from the CBD, on the Lefevre Peninsula, in South Australia, and lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Peterhead, Exeter and Glanville. It is bounded to the south by the Gawler Reach of the Port River, to the north by Hargrave Street and in the west and east by the Outer Harbor railway line and the Port River respectively.
Port River Expressway is a 5.7-kilometre (3.5 mi) freeway-grade road. The expressway links Port Adelaide and the Lefevre Peninsula across the north-western suburbs of Adelaide to major interstate routes via North-South Motorway.
Victoria Road is a major road in Adelaide, South Australia, connecting Port Adelaide to Outer Harbor on the Lefevre Peninsula. It is designated part of route A16.
The Adelaide–Port Augusta railway line is the main route for northbound rail traffic out of Adelaide, South Australia. The line, 315 kilometres long, is part of the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor and the Sydney–Perth rail corridor.
The North–South Motorway is a partially complete motorway traversing the inner western suburbs of Adelaide, from Waterloo Corner in the north to Bedford Park in the south. Progressively constructed in stages since 2010, once complete it will replace the adjacent South Road as Adelaide's main north–south roadway. It will form the central section of the North–South Corridor, being flanked north and south by the Northern Expressway and Southern Expressway, respectively. It is designated part of route M2.
Abigroup was an Australian construction company.
The Stuart O'Grady Bikeway is a 23 kilometres (14 mi) shared path in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, following the eastern side of the Max Fatchen Expressway. The northeastern end is adjacent to the on ramp from Two Wells Road to the Gawler Bypass. The southwestern end is adjacent to Port Wakefield Road. It is named after Stuart O'Grady.
The Jervois Bridge is a bridge in Greater Adelaide, Australia that crosses the Port River.
The Mary MacKillop Bridge is a bascule bridge in Adelaide, Australia that carries the Dry Creek-Port Adelaide railway line over the Port River.
Media related to Tom 'Diver' Derrick Bridge at Wikimedia Commons