Fig Tree Bridge

Fig Tree Bridge
South-west view of Fig Tree Bridge in Sydney, from the southern abutment of the old bridge in Hunters Hill in 2006.
Coordinates
Carries	Burns Bay Road; (Road traffic, pedestrians, bicycles)
Crosses	Lane Cove River
Locale	Hunters Hill, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Owner	Roads & Maritime Services
Preceded by	Iron truss swing bridge (1885-1963)
Characteristics
Design	Girder bridge
Material	Concrete
History
Construction end	September 1963 (1963-09)
Statistics
Daily traffic	19,000 (2012)
References

The Fig Tree Bridge, a concrete girder bridge that spans the Lane Cove River, is located west of the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It is immediately to the north of Tarban Creek Bridge and the Gladesville Bridge. The bridge carries the Burns Bay Road and a footpath and connects the suburbs of Hunters Hill and Linley Point.

History

The first Fig Tree Bridge

The bridge replaces an iron truss swing bridge originally built on this site in 1885 in a period that also saw the construction of the original Gladesville and Iron Cove bridges. The earlier Fig Tree Bridge was located about 50 metres (160 ft) to the west of the existing bridge. The southern abutment still exists, upon which there is a viewing platform accessible from the end of Joubert Street, Hunters Hill. The wheel that once operated the opening span stands in memorial.

Description

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The bridge viewed from Boronia Park.

The current Fig Tree Bridge, which opened in September 1963, was built in conjunction with the Tarban Creek and Gladesville bridges as part of the planned North Western Expressway linking the city with the then Sydney-Newcastle Freeway. The expressway was cancelled but the freeway grade road from the eastern end of the Gladesville Bridge, over Tarban Creek and ending at the northern end of Fig Tree Bridge has been maintained. The bridge's concrete piers were designed so that if the expressway became a reality, two extra lanes either side of the bridge could be clipped on, increasing the bridge's capacity.

Although the Fig Tree Bridge never realised its potential, along with the Tarban Creek and Gladesville bridges, it is an important as the next crossing upriver from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and as an alternative route northwest in and out of the central business district from the lower and upper north shore suburbs via Burns Bay Road. Depending upon the time of day, it can also be a quicker route into the city. Also, it does not carry a toll.

In 2006, the Fig Tree Bridge formed part of the Seven Bridges Walk, a free community event that promotes walking as a way of staying fit and active, and consisted of a circuit that crossed seven of Sydney's bridges, including the Sydney Harbour, Pyrmont, Anzac, Iron Cove, Gladesville, and Tarban Creek bridges.

See also

• List of bridges in Sydney