Sea Cliff Bridge

Sea Cliff Bridge
Coordinates 34°15′14″S 150°58′26″E / 34.25389°S 150.97389°E / -34.25389; 150.97389Coordinates: 34°15′14″S 150°58′26″E / 34.25389°S 150.97389°E / -34.25389; 150.97389
Carries Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles
Locale Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia
Characteristics
Design Balanced cantilever [1]
Material Steel reinforced concrete [1]
Total length 455.6 metres (1,495 ft) [1]
Height 41 metres (135 ft) at highest point [1]
Longest span 3 x 108 metres (354 ft) [1]
No. of spans 5 [1]
History
Construction end 9 December 2005 [1]
Opened 11 December 2005 [1]

The Sea Cliff Bridge is a balanced cantilever bridge located in the northern Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The $52 million bridge links the coastal villages of Coalcliff and Clifton. Featuring two lanes of traffic, a cycleway and a walkway, the bridge is a feature of the scenic Lawrence Hargrave Drive. The Sea Cliff Bridge is one of only seven off-shore parallel to coast bridges in the world.[2]

History

The Sea Cliff Bridge replaced a section of Lawrence Hargrave Drive that was permanently closed in August 2003 due to regular rock falls. A public outcry emerged over the road closure as Lawrence Hargrave Drive is the only road directly linking Coalcliff, Stanwell Park, Otford and Helensburgh to the northern suburbs of Wollongong.[3] The bridge was officially opened by NSW Premier Morris Iemma at a 'ribbon cutting' ceremony on 11 December 2005, and has met with great public approval and increased business for the area's tourism industry.[3]

The Sea Cliff Bridge was named by 11-year-old schoolgirl Makenzie Russell (St. Brigids)[4] following a naming competition opened to local primary school students.

Issues

The bridge sits in a harsh marine environment as it directly faces the open ocean and is affected by high sea swell splashing. It is well attested that concrete structures in such environments are specially susceptible to chloride induced corrosion of the steel reinforcement, which can eventually lead to pricey repair works and significantly decrease the life of the structure.[2][5]

Tourism

An hour south of Sydney, it has been a major tourist spot since it opened in 2005, which features an scenic walkway surrounded by rocky cliffs.[2] It is a popular location for Love padlocks.[6]

The Sea Cliff Bridge has been featured in a joint 2007 Ferrari/Shell Fuel television advert that was shown in many countries around the world including Australia.[7]

The bridge has also featured in other car advertisements around the world, including in VE Holden Commodore commercials.[8]

It is also featured in the video game, Forza Horizon 3, where players can race over the bridge.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sea Cliff Bridge - Bridge Construction Statistics". Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "APPLICATION OF CATHODIC PREVENTION TO SEA CLIFF BRIDGE, LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  3. 1 2 "Sea Cliff Bridge - Why Was It Constructed ?". Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  4. ↑ "Sea Cliff Bridge - Makenzie who?". Retrieved 2013-02-02.
  5. ↑ Sinclair, M.R; Lawrence Hargrave Drive balanced cantilver and incremental launch bridges construction, Concrete 05, 2005
  6. ↑ "Sea Cliff Bridge holds key to love". Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Fg-mj2DCE
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkqqFHzqHJQ
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