Gasworks Bridge

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Gasworks Bridge

 

For over 115 years, the Gasworks Bridge on MacArthur Street has been one of the most significant infrastructural elements in New South Wales. When it was completed in 1885, it was considered to be more technically sophisticated than most bridges in the country.

The bridge, which greatly contributed to the commercial and social development of western Sydney,

was designed by engineer John A. McDonald. Its powerful aesthetic lines and rectangular lattice trusses are typical of McDonald’s earlier designs. However, the bridge lacks the diaphragm-tied piers of most other lattice bridges. Instead, it is supported by massive, towering sandstone piers. Historically, iron lattice bridges were built only from 1881 to 1893, and all of them were designed and built by McDonald.

The 3-span, two-lane bridge spans over the wide Parramatta River. Each of the three spans is 31

meters long. The total length of the Gasworks Bridge is 110 meters, and its width is 6.85 meters.

Iron lattice bridges like the Gasworks Bridge are the most notable bridges constructed during the

colonial era. They played a pivotal role in development and opening up of many parts of New South Wales. These bridges carried the busy road network over the country’s major rivers and waterways.