Captain Cook Bridge, Brisbane
The Captain Cook Bridge is a road bridge that carries the Pacific Motorway across the Brisbane River in Brisbane, in the state of Queensland, Australia. It was built exclusively for vehicular traffic and was completed in late 1972. The bridge had its naming ceremony on 13 December 1972, with it opening in January/February 1973. A once only pedestrian walk event across the bridge happened shortly before it was opened to vehicular traffic on 21 January 1973, organised by the Rotary Club of Stones Corner.[4] The bridge crosses at the South Brisbane Reach of the river, linking Gardens Point in the Brisbane central business district on the north side to Kangaroo Point and South Brisbane on the southside.
Captain Cook Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Captain Cook Bridge, Brisbane | |
| Coordinates | 27°28′50″S 153°01′45″E |
| Carries | Pacific Motorway (Motor vehicles: eight lanes) |
| Crosses | Brisbane River |
| Locale | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Official name | Captain Cook Bridge |
| Named for | Captain James Cook |
| Preceded by | Goodwill Bridge |
| Followed by | Story Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Concrete Box girder |
| Total length | 555 metres (1,821 ft) |
| Longest span | 183 metres (600 ft) |
| Clearance below | 12.7 metres (42 ft) |
| History | |
| Designer | Albert Contessa (Chief Engineer) |
| Contracted lead designer | Co-Ordinator Generals Department |
| Constructed by | Transfield Constructions |
| Construction start | 1968 |
| Construction end | 1972 |
| Construction cost | $24 million[1] |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | ~150,000 (as of 2007) |
| Location | |
| References | |
| [2][3] | |
Location and features
Captain Cook Bridge is constructed as a multi–span, precast prestressed concrete free-cantilever bridge with drop-in mid-spans. Comprising a dual carriageway that creates two separate bridges, one for each direction of traffic, heading north–south over the Brisbane River. Each bridge carries four lanes of traffic in one direction and links the M3 Pacific Motorway to the M3 Riverside Expressway. It is the main route from the city's south into the Brisbane central business district.[5]
At the time of completion, the main span of 183 metres (600 ft) held the world record for this type of structure for a period of three months, when it was superseded by the Harada Bridge in Japan with a span of 241 metres (791 ft).[2]
The structure is Queensland's busiest traffic bridge with more than one million vehicles crossing it weekly in 2007.[3]
Downstream from the Captain Cook Bridge is the Story Bridge, while the Goodwill Bridge is the next crossing upstream.
Concerns were raised in 2007 about the structure's integrity after it was revealed that contractors who attached a gantry to the bridge had drilled numerous holes which had damaged steel reinforcement bars. After investigations were completed it was concluded that the damage was insignificant as only 57 vertical steel bars out of 21,000 had been cut.[6]
Upgrades
A maintenance project, started in late 2019, and estimated to cost $26 million, was still ongoing in July 2022.[7]
References
- "Engineering Heritage Inner Brisbane" (PDF). Engineers Australia. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- "Captain Cook Bridge". Structurae. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- Thompson, Tuck (17 August 2007). "Captain Cook Bridge riddled with holes". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
- Old Brisbane Album thread on the Captain Cook Bridge opening event, with photo of official walk completion certificate. Retrieved 2 February 2020
- "Captain Cook Bridge to face inspection". Brisbane Times. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Riverside Expressway bridge 'structurally safe'". Brisbane Times. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- "Captain Cook Bridge maintenance works". Queensland Government. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
External links
Media related to Captain Cook Bridge, Brisbane at Wikimedia Commons