Ryde Bridge

Ryde Bridge

The Ryde Bridge, which is in fact two bridges, is located in Sydney, Australia that crosses the Parramatta River, linking the suburb of Ryde in Sydney's Northern Suburbs to the suburb of Rhodes in Sydney's Inner West. These bridges carry 6 lanes of Metroad 3.

History

The original Ryde Bridge was opened on 7 December 1935 by the Premier of New South Wales, Bertram Stevens, accompanied by the Mayor of Ryde.

The original bridge is a lift bridge with which was a requirement for Parramatta River shipping, however the lifting mechanism was removed in the mid-20th Century, and it has not been opened since.

The bridge was paid for by the Ryde Council (with the assistance of a grant from the New South Wales Government). The bridge carried a toll for 13 years. At the end of this period the bridge was paid for and the toll was removed. Ownership was transferred to the Department of Main Roads.

An additional bridge was constructed adjacent to the east side of this bridge during the early 1990s to carry southbound traffic, leaving the original bridge for northbound traffic only.

Before the bridge was constructed, the Parramatta River was crossed in this area by a vehicular punt, just downstream of the Meadowbank Railway bridge. The southern ramp still exists near the southern end of the railway bridge, however the northern ramp has been covered over by Meadowbank ferry wharf.

Other

The keel of HMAS Stuart (destroyer) is buried in the mud below Ryde Bridge.

References

• Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW): Ryde Bridge
• Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW): West Ryde Bridge
• [1]

External links

• Ryde Bridge is at coordinates 33°49′25″S 151°05′42″E