Lennox Bridge, Parramatta, Stone arch bridge in Parramatta, Australia.
Lennox Bridge is a single-span sandstone arch bridge over the Parramatta River on Church Street, Parramatta. Its elliptical arch has a clear span of 23.16 metres (76.0 ft) within a total span of 27.73 metres (91.0 ft). The bridge now carries the Parramatta Light Rail, pedestrians and emergency vehicles only, with no general road traffic.
The current bridge is the third at or near this crossing. A timber footbridge was destroyed by floods in 1795, and the Gaol Bridge, on stone piers with timber railings, was completed between 1802 and 1804. David Lennox's sandstone bridge, built with convict labour from 1836 to 1839, cost £1,797 and was his third and final bridge.
The bridge is crossed by the Parramatta Light Rail, which opened on 20 December 2024 and runs on-street along Church Street; since then Church Street between Market and Macquarie streets has been a light rail and pedestrian zone. The sandstone came from the Parramatta Female Factory quarry, and the bridge is named after David Lennox, the first Colonial Superintendent of Bridges.
Since the Parramatta Light Rail opened on 20 December 2024, Church Street between Market and Macquarie streets, including the bridge, is a light rail and pedestrian zone. General road traffic no longer crosses; the deck serves light rail, pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Walkers and cyclists can also use the two tunnels cut through the bridge approaches, opened in 2015.
Archaeological work in 2014 uncovered that parts of an earlier prison bridge from 1804 were incorporated into the foundation of the current structure. This reveals how later builders reused materials from earlier construction efforts.
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