The Glebe Island Bridge is an disused swing bridge over Rozelle Bay in Port Jackson in Sydney, Australia. The bridge, which in the past connected Rozelle to Pyrmont by road, is one of the last remaining swing bridges of its type in Australia and in the world.
The Glebe Island Bridge was an electrically operated swing bridge opened in 1903, the year after the opening of the new Pyrmont Bridge over Sydney's Darling Harbour, which has a similar design. The bridge was designed by Percy Allan of the New South Wales Public Works Department who also designed the Pyrmont Bridge. During normal operation the two 29.1-metre (95 ft) swing spans rotated about a central vertical axis.
The bridge was closed in 1995, when the adjacent Anzac Bridge opened, and remains in a permanently open position with no access to pedestrians or vehicular traffic. The bridge was operated and used for access by cyclists in the annual Spring Cycle in October until 2008.
The bridge is listed on the Australian Heritage Database since 1989.[1] A 2009 structural assessment found the bridge in "very poor condition" and in April 2013 a new report found that it had deteriorated further. City of Sydney Council and the community groups lobbied the state government to restore the structure and reopen the bridge for pedestrian and cyclists.[2] A cost benefit report by ACIL Allen consultants for Transport for NSW on options for the bridge was released in September 2013.[3][dead link]
