1995: A Cable-Stayed Bridge in Sydney is Opened to Traffic

December 3, 1995

In Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW), a cable-stayed bridge in Sydney was formally opened to traffic. This bridge, crossing Johnstons Bay on the western edge of the city’s central business district, is a major link between the suburb of Pyrmont and the port facility of Glebe Island within the suburb of Rozelle.

At the time of its debut, the structure was known as the Glebe Island Bridge. The public officials taking part in the dedication of this bridge included Bob Carr (born in 1947), who had become premier of NSW eight months earlier and remained in the position until 2005; and Michael Knight, who was appointed NSW’s minister for roads eight months earlier and would serve in that role until November of the following year.

On Remembrance Day (November 11) in 1998, the bridge was renamed to honor the soldiers who served in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) during World War I. The Australian flag flies on the eastern pylon of the bridge while the flag of New Zealand is located atop the western pylon of this structure.

In 2000, a statue of an Australian Anzac soldier was officially installed on western end of the bridge. This took place on Anzac Day (April 25). A statue of a New Zealand soldier was installed in that vicinity in 2008. Helen Clark (born in 1950), who became prime minister of New Zealand in 1999, unveiled this statue. (She remained prime minister until about seven months after performing that ceremonial duty.)

The eight-lane Anzac Bridge carries the Western Distributor, a part of the A4 motorway, over Johnstons Bay. This bridge, which is 2,641 feet (805 meters) in length, serves as a crossing for not only motor vehicles but also bicycles and pedestrians.

Photo Credit: Maksym Kozlenko (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

For more information on the Anzac Bridge (originally called the Glebe Island Bridge), please check out https://www.groveoz.info/