Source: Anon. 1957. "Artist's Impression of Proposed Bridge". The Sydney Morning Herald, March 9: 8.
Earlier this year, I found an illustration of a proposed Steel Cantalever Bridge that was proposed to replace the (old) Gladesville Bridge at Gladesville.
By the 1950's congestion along the crossing was a concern. The original bridge (1881) was only two lanes allowing for one lane of traffic in each direction. It was a low level bridge; a swing bridge which was opened at regular intervals to allow boating traffic to navigate along the Parramatta River.
The Department of Main Roads (DMR) wanted a new bridge as part of the planned (and never built) North Western Expressway to link northern Sydney, Central Coast and Newcastle to the Sydney CBD.
In 1957, tenders were invited by the DMR based on the steel cantilever bridge design with a span of 299 metres. The four tenders projected costs ranging from 2.51 million pounds ($5.2 million) to 3.87 million pounds ($7.77 million). A tender for a concrete arch bridge was submitted with a projected 2.39 million pound ($4.78 million) cost.
The DMR awarded the tender for a concrete arch bridge in 1959. The span was increased six metres to 305 metres and would cost 2.56 million pounds.
Deeper excavation of thrust blocks and the construction of the 10 lane northern approaches meant that the final cost was 3.6 million pounds. This converts to a cost of over $100 million today as based on the RBA Inflation Calculator.
Construction began in 1959 and was completed in 1964.
Additional Information:
Maxwell, M. "Gladesville Bridge - 50th Anniversary". PowerPoint Presentation. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2017-01/Div_Syd_techPres_gladesville_bridge.pdf
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