Morphett Street Bridge, Adelaide
The Morphett Street Bridge and Victoria Bridge are intrinsically linked.
The first City Bridge across the River Torrens was built in 1839. It was constructed approximately 500 metres west of the current Adelaide Bridge. It could be accessed from the road now known as Morphett Street.
In 1856 the Adelaide to Port Adelaide railway line was opened and to access the bridge over the Torrens it was necessary to cross the railway lines, and a level crossing was opened in 1860. In 1861 the government constructed a small bridge over the railway and closed the level crossing. The bridge was found to be inconvenient and in 1864 the City of Adelaide requested the level crossing be reinstated. The Government rejected the request.
On 24 October 1864 City Surveyor, Mr Schroeder, gathered 30 men to remove fences and fill the railway trenches to reinstate the level crossing. That same day Manager of Railways, C.S. Hare, rushed men to scene and blocked crossing by laying wheels on the line. The passage was cleared again in the afternoon by council. Railways then brought engines in to obstruct the crossing. The dispute resolved when a level crossing with turnstiles and gates was installed.
In the 1868 the Overway Bridge was constructed across the railway. It was not in-line with Morphett Street and the Victoria Bridge as had right-handed turns on the road that led to the bridge.
In 1884 a lattice girder bridge in-line with Morphett Street and Victoria Bridge.
On 30 November 1964 the City of Adelaide approved preparation of plans and specifications to replace the then existing Morphett Street and Victoria Bridge including the widening and alignment Morphett Street.
The new bridge is part of a single road alignment from Montefiore Hill to Light Square. The new bridge has twice to traffic width of the original. The bridge was constructed as two parallel bridges constructed one after the other so that the crossing could be kept open.
Each of the two bridges is constructed from 24 precast concrete box units with hollow back spans filled with concrete. The structure is founded on precast concrete piles up to 20 metres long.
These new bridges have prestressed concrete trapezoidal box girders. The girders were constructed on falsework and when prestressed lifted off the falsework. As part of the alignment of the bridges part of the Fowlers Factory on North Terrace was demolished.
The new bridges were opened in March 1968.
References:
Kemp, DC; Pickles, JM; and Ward, RA, “Adelaide – Engineering and Industry – A guide to aspects of our engineering and industrial heritage in the City of Adelaide", Engineering Heritage Branch, Institution of Engineers Australia South Australian Division, March 1992.
Institution of Engineers, Australia, South Australian Division “Ponds, Ponts and Pop-eye – Notes for an afternoon afloat on Adelaide’s River Torrens” Institution of Engineers Australia publication number SAD 99/02, 21 November 1999.
Stacy, B and Venus, R “Bridging the Torrens: Pre- and post- Federation Technologies” unpublished.
Stacy, B “Notes on bridges in Adelaide”, unpublished
“Notes on the earliest bridges erected over the Torrens” Adelaide City Council Archives, Accession 1620.
