HODDLE BRIDGE, STH YARRA

The Hoddle Bridge is a bridge over the Yarra River between Richmond and South Yarra, Melbourne. It carries Punt Road across the Yarra. It is a four-lane road bridge with narrow footpaths on either side. It is of continuous reinforced/ concrete T-beam construction with five segmental arched spans, supported on transverse piers, and linked by concrete cross-beams. The bridge, named after Robert Hoddle, replaced an earlier footbridge, which in turn had replaced a punt service.

The bridge was constructed by the Country Roads Board in conjunction with the Melbourne City Council, at a cost of £78,000. It was opened on 22 December 1938 by the Hon. Albert Dunstan, Premier of Victoria.  The bridge was one of the first to be painted to improve its appearance, with a special brand of paint known as Emulux. The bridge was not completely well-received with reports that:  "By 1939, too, the new Hoddle Bridge fed an intolerable level of traffic into Victoria Street: "Accidents are numerous and many of them causing the death of pedestrians are due to the large number of parked cars ..." Today the bridge carries an enormous amount of North-South traffic, 24 hours a day.

Looking towards the West from the Hoddle Bridge, across the Yarra, one can see the City skyline and another bridge. This is the Morell Bridge. Completed in 1899 by John Monash and J. T. N. Anderson, it is notable for being the first bridge in Victoria to be built using reinforced concrete. It features decorations on the three arch spans, including large dragon motifs and ornamental Victorian lights. The gutters on the bridge are cobbled bluestone, with a single lane bitumen strip running down the middle. The Bridge is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Originally known as the Anderson Street bridge, it was named the Morell Bridge in 1936 after Sir Stephen Morell who was a prominent Victorian businessman and Lord Mayor of Melbourne between 1926 and 1928. On June 7, 1998 the bridge was closed to motor vehicles as part of the CityLink project. It is currently used by cyclist and pedestrian traffic, connecting the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Olympic Park precinct. The AAMI Park - Sports Stadium is the white multi-domed structure on the right.

This post is part of Louis' Sunday Bridges meme,
and also part of Aisha's Scenic Sunday meme.