Pymont Bridge, Sydney

Pyrmont Bridge, Sydney

Pymont Bridge (GPS: -33.87062, 151.20085) is a pedestrian swing bridge at Cockle Bay in Sydney Harbour. The bridge was designed by Percy Allen, who went on to design another 583 bridges throughout his career. Among those involved in the construction was JJ Bradfield, who became the designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Construction began in 1899, and it was opened to the public on 28 June 1902 by Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, the Governor of New South Wales.

The Pyrmont Bridge is 369 meters (1200 ft) long. It has 14 spans, of which only the two middle ones are swingspans made of steel. When it opened, Pyrmont Bridge had one of the largest swing spans in the world, and was one of the first to be powered by electricity. In fact, the bridge received electricity even before the streets of Sydney were lit by it. The bridge provided easy access to what was then an international shipping terminal for Sydney. There were warehouses and wool stores here. Electricity for the bridge came from the Ultimo power station, which today houses the Powerhouse Museum.

Pyrmont Bridge was closed to traffic in 1981. After an extensive facelift, it reopened as a pedestrian bridge as part of the re-development of Darling Harbour. There is now also an elevated monorail line over the bridge between Darling Harbour and the Sydney Central Business District. The central steel swingspans are still powered by the original motor. The bridge still opens regularly to allow boats to enter Cockle Bay.

Pyrmont Bridge is on the Map of Sydney, Australia

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