Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges, Twin concrete road bridges in Brisbane, Australia
The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges are twin prestressed concrete box girder bridges over the Brisbane River, linking Eagle Farm and Murarrie. The western bridge, opened in 1986, carries northbound traffic; the eastern duplicate, opened in 2010, carries southbound traffic. Each has six lanes, a 260-metre main span and a deck 64.5 metres above the river.
Construction began on 5 June 1980, before the design was finished, and the bridge opened on 11 January 1986, when 200,000 people crossed it on foot. It was renamed the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges in February 2010, and the duplicate span opened on 22 May 2010, six months early. The two decks have carried 12 lanes since November 2010.
The Queensland Government renamed the Gateway Bridge and its duplicate the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges in February 2010. A Channel Nine Brisbane poll found 97% of respondents opposed the change, and most said they would keep calling it the Gateway Bridge. The name honours Sir Leo Hielscher, a senior Australian public servant.
Tolling is free-flow via the Linkt electronic system, with no booths since July 2009; tolls apply in both directions until 2051. The western bridge carries northbound traffic and the eastern bridge southbound. The crossing lies at the Quarries Reach between Eagle Farm and Murarrie, the easternmost crossing of the Brisbane River.
The main span of 260 metres was the world's longest for a free cantilever concrete box girder bridge and held the record for over 15 years. The box girder, 15 metres deep at the pier and 12 metres wide, remains the largest prestressed concrete single box in the world. Height was capped under 80 metres because of Brisbane Airport flight paths, while ships need 55 metres of clearance.
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