Harwood Bridge
Old and New Harwood Bridge
Coordinates29°25′48″S 153°14′27″E / 29.4299°S 153.2407°E / -29.4299; 153.2407
Carries
CrossesClarence River
LocaleMaclean, New South Wales, Australia
Maintained byTransport for NSW
Characteristics
DesignTruss bridge with single vertical-lift span
MaterialSteel
Total length888 metres (2,913 ft)
Longest span43.1 metres (141 ft)
No. of spans34: (7 truss – 27 girder)
Piers in water19
Clearance below37 metres (120 ft) using lift span
No. of lanes2
History
Construction costA$3.8 million
Opened20 August 1966 (1966-08-20)
ReplacesFerry (to 1966)
Replaced by4-lane concrete bridge
(since 2019: concurrent use)
Location
References
[1][2][3]

The Harwood Bridge is a two-lane steel truss bridge which carried the Pacific Highway over the Clarence River in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia from 1966 until 2019, when it was replaced by a four-lane 1.5-kilometre-long (4,921 ft) concrete bridge, located 20 metres (66 ft) to its east. The Harwood Bridge has been retained to provide access to Harwood Island.[4][5]

Description

The Harwood Bridge crosses the main channel of the Clarence River, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) upstream from the river mouth, and 46 kilometres (29 mi) by road from Grafton. It is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the town of Maclean at the village of Harwood. It carried the Pacific Highway from the south bank of the Clarence River onto Harwood Island,[3] from where the highway crosses the Serpentine Channel onto Chatsworth Island then finally crosses the North Channel of the Clarence River via the Mororo Bridge (also a steel truss bridge) to the northern bank.

The Harwood Bridge was completed in August 1966, and replaced the last ferry crossing on the state highway system of New South Wales. Prior to the opening of the bridge, the river crossing was provided by three cable-guided ferries operating in parallel.[3]

The bridge has a total length of 888 metres (2,913 ft), consisting of seven steel truss spans of 43.1 metres (141 ft) length and twenty-seven steel girder approach spans. The deck carries two lanes of traffic and a footway. One of the steel truss spans is a vertical-lift span, which allows vessels to navigate the Clarence River.[3] However, this now occurs infrequently.

The Harwood Bridge formed part of a bypass of the town of Maclean and the village of Harwood. It is the longest, and last, in a series of steel truss bridges of a standard design built by the Department of Main Roads during the 1950s and 1960s, chiefly across the wide coastal rivers of New South Wales, and mostly on the Pacific Highway.[3] Bridges of the same design were built on the Pacific Highway across the Hunter River at Hexham (1952), the South Channel of the Hunter River at Mayfield (1965, demolished 2009), the Karuah River at Karuah (1957), the Wollamba River as part of the Nabiac bypass (1958, demolished 2004), the Hastings River as part of the Port Macquarie bypass (1961), and the Macleay River at Kempsey (1959).

Replacement bridge

The Pacific Highway was upgraded between Grafton and Ballina. Work included a replacement four-lane 1.5-kilometre-long (4,921 ft) concrete bridge, located 20 metres (66 ft) to the east of the Harwood Bridge, spanning the Clarence River and its adjacent floodplain.[6][7] The new bridge was constructed between 2016 and December 2019,[3][8][9] and the existing bridge has been retained to provide access to Harwood Island.[10]

A grade-separated pedestrian footpath and cycleway has been retained on the Harwood Bridge.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ships that pass..." The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 34, no. 17. Australia. 21 September 1966. p. 35 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "LAST FERRY ON STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM ELIMINATED". Western Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 30 September 1966. p. 6 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade" (PDF). Pacific Highway Upgrade; Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. December 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "Bridge over Clarence River at Harwood". Pacific Highway Upgrade; Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Harwood Bridge". Roads & Traffic Authority. Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Bridge over the Clarence River at Harwood". Roads & Maritime Services. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "Bridge over Clarence River at Harwood". acciona.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Bridge over the Clarence River at Harwood" (PDF). Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales.
  9. ↑ "Harwood Bridge officially open to traffic". NBN News. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. ↑ Bridge over Clarence River at Harwood Pacific Highway Upgrade
  11. ↑ "FAQs: Bridge over Clarence River at Harwood". Pacific Highway Upgrade; Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.

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