Eleanor Schonell Bridge

The Eleanor Schonell Bridge, better known as the Green Bridge, is a 390-metre (1,280 ft)-long cable-stayed bridge which crosses the Brisbane River between Dutton Park and the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus, connecting the UQ Lakes and Dutton Park Place busway stations. Its deck is 185 metres long, 20 metres wide and about 18 metres above the river's surface. The bridge was opened on 17 December 2006, and is the first bridge in Australia exclusively designed for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.[2] The bridge cost $55.5 million to construct.[3]

Eleanor Schonell Bridge
The Eleanor Schonell Bridge at sunset in January 2022
Coordinates27.497781°S 153.020981°E / -27.497781; 153.020981
CarriesBuses, pedestrians, bicycles.
CrossesBrisbane River
LocaleBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Official nameEleanor Schonell Bridge
Named forEleanor Schonell
Characteristics
DesignCable-stayed bridge
Total length390 metres (1,280 ft)
History
Opened17 December 2006 (2006-12-17)[1]
Location
Eleanor Schonell Bridge (formerly called the Green Bridge) during its construction

The opening of the bridge signalled the end of the popular cross-river ferry service between Dutton Park and St Lucia, which had been running since 1967.[4] The two ferries that remained at the cessation of the service, MV Loyalty and MV Vicky Lynn were sold, the Loyalty now being used as a private vessel and the Vicky Lynn as a floating advertisement for the Riverpoint Luxury Apartments in West End.[5]

Construction

The "as-built" concept design of the bridge was proposed as an alternative design by Bruce Ramsay. Construction of the bridge has included a new road through Dutton Park, the expansion of Annerley Road, a new bus station for the University of Queensland and the permanent redirection of College Road in St Lucia. The detailed design and the construction was carried out by John Holland Group.[6]

A related transport infrastructure project is the Eastern Busway which links the Eleanor Schonell Bridge with the Queensland Rail City network at Park Road station and to the South East Busway

Public transport services

To coincide with the opening, Translink announced three new bus services which will use the bridge. These services are the 109, 169 and 209. The 109 started operation on 18 December 2006, and links UQ to the city via Annerley Road and the CBD end of the South East Busway.[7] The 169 service began in February 2007 and links UQ with Eight Mile Plains and Garden City.[8] The 209 service also began in February 2007, and links UQ with Carindale.[8]

The fourth service, the 139, was introduced in July 2007[9] in order to address overcrowding issues on the 169 and on Mains Road services from the Griffith University busway station, and links UQ with Sunnybank and Sunnybank Hills. The 139 only operates on weekdays during university semesters.[9]

The fifth service, the 192, was announced in October 2008 and is designed to connect the university to West End and Highgate Hill.[10] The 192 is not a new service; rather it is an extension of an older route servicing the West End/Highgate Hill area. It only operates on weekdays.

The most recent addition to the UQ service is the 29 route, operating a shuttle every five minutes between the Woolloongabba Bus Station and UQ Lakes.

Traffic impact

Although southside travellers previously had the option of boarding a cross-river ferry, the bridge has a far greater capacity. Average river crossing times have also improved, especially in the off-peak when only one ferry was in use. The popularity of the bridge had initially proven troubling to Translink and the Brisbane City Council, with extra buses having to be put on to cater to the large number of commuters traveling to St. Lucia campus.[11][12] The Boggo road busway is now complete, and has delivered improved efficiency for the rail/bus interface at Park Road Station and has opened up the St. Lucia area to more travelers.

The new route possibilities are not all one-sided; northside commuters now have a 15-minute cycle along Annerley Road and the Goodwill bridge to the CBD from the UQ side of the bridge.

The Councillor for the local council ward of Tennyson, Nicole Johnston, whose electorate incorporates the Dutton Park side of the Eleanor Schonell Bridge, advocated a trial for private vehicular traffic. The Brisbane City Council did not respond to that suggestion.[13]

St. Lucia end

The traffic area at the St Lucia end of the bridge terminates as a cul-de-sac, without any non-pedestrian thoroughfare options into the streets around The University of Queensland or St Lucia. The separate path for cyclists on the bridge leads directly through to various paths away from the bridge, a deliberate measure to ensure that "there will be no through-running bus service connected to the campus or to the suburb of St Lucia".[14]

Naming

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman announced on 28 August 2006 that the Green Bridge would officially be called the Eleanor Schonell Bridge. An independent panel including Brisbane historian and author Helen Gregory, University of Queensland academic Professor Michael Keniger, Architect Bill Corker from Denton Corker Marshall and a representative from the Lord Mayor's Youth Advisory Council Milindee Jeewandara produced a short list of three names to Brisbane's Civic Cabinet from hundreds suggested by the public being: Eleanor Schonell Bridge, Hawken Bridge and University Bridge.[15]

Eleanor Schonell made an internationally recognised contribution to testing for dyslexia and was renowned for her generous and humane approach to life.

Her work with cerebral palsy children led to international recognition and she also contributed substantially to the education of children with intellectual disabilities.[15]

During its conception and construction, the bridge was known as the "Green Bridge" because it was a sustainable transport initiative and since the naming many people have continued to call it the Green Bridge in preference to its official name.

Green power

To conserve energy consumption energy efficient and low wattage lights were used. Feature lighting was also minimised to reduce both power requirements and the impact of the bridge on the surrounding area. Cut-off timers and remote operation features were also incorporated to reduce the amount of unnecessary lighting while still maintaining a safe environment for users. The energy requirement of the bridge is generated by a high-profile solar roof, containing 108 x 175W panels. The solar roof feeds electricity back into the supply authority grid thereby offsetting the mains power electricity used by the bridge at night.[16]

Incidents

On 24 October 2009, 21-year-old University of Queensland student Whitney Heuvel urged his friends to use a camera phone to film him jumping off the bridge. Intoxicated, he misjudged the rails and fell awkwardly, resulting in his death.[17][18]

See also

References
  1. Sherwin, Stuart (18 December 2006). "Tribute to educator who bridged the gap". The Courier-Mail (1 - First with the news ed.). p. 4.
  2. Peter Spearritt (24 August 2006). "The Green Bridge". The Brisbane Line. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  3. Brisbane City Council. Green Bridge Starts - new infrastructure era Archived 13 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, 27 April 2005.
  4. Illing, Dorothy (1 November 2006). "Ferry tale ends for UQ arrivals". The Australian (1 - All-round Country ed.). p. 25. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  5. 'Riverpoint Luxury Apartments'
  6. "Eleanor Schonell Bridge". Systra IBT. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. "Bridge is bus-ready". Westside News. 29 November 2006. p. 3.
  8. Gregory, Jason (20 February 2007). "Single trip for Mayor - This is what happens when publicity stunts go horribly wrong". The Courier-Mail (6 - Late City ed.). p. 15.
  9. "New bus services roll out". Southern Star (1 - ed.). 25 July 2007. p. 4.
  10. Heger, Ursula; Phipps, Julia (21 October 2008). "Plan to free up buses". mX (1 - BRIS ed.). Brisbane. p. 1.
  11. Chalmers, Emma (5 March 2007). "City Hall bridges UQ commuter gap". The Courier-Mail. p. 14.
  12. Chalmers, Emma (19 March 2007). "More buses for varsity". The Courier-Mail. p. 14. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  13. Johnston, N. (2021 March). "Tennyson Ward News and Events. WALTER TAYLOR BRIDGE DUPLICATION — FEASIBILITY STUDY ANNOUNCED." Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  14. "UQ Senate sets out conditions for construction of BCC Green Bridge". UQ News. 10 October 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  15. "And the name is…Eleanor Schonell Bridge". Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  16. "Eleanor Schonell Bridge, Acaa Technical Conference Paper" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  17. "Eleanor Schonell Bridge stunt ends in tragedy for student". The Sunday Mail (2 - State - Main Country ed.). 25 October 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  18. Healy, Samantha; Doneman, Paula; Gaynor, Mitch (25 October 2009). "Brisbane River bridge death prompts safety review". The Sunday Mail (2 - State - Main Country ed.). p. 4. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
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