“We build too many walls and not enough bridges…”
Isaac Newton
On Tuesday 8th February 1938, the South Australian Government called for tenders to build a new bridge over the Port River. The initial allocation of funds seemed fairly modest at 150, 000 pounds. The project to connect Birkenhead and Port Adelaide was completed in very good time, opening in December 1940 for an eventual cost of 165,000 pounds. The 268 metres of water the bridge needed to span was not inconsiderable and the options were to build high off the waterline (think Sydney Harbour), or do something more innovative and cheaper. A bascule bridge employs a movable single span or two adjoining leaves that open using balanced counterweights, to allow the passage of marine traffic. Bascule bridges have been around since Roman times, but the Birkenhead Bridge is one of only four ever constructed with enough strength and mass to support railway transport. #nevertearitapart
Pen Paint and Scalpel 