Prince Alfred Bridge
Prince Alfred Bridge | |
|---|---|
Wooden viaduct, looking south, in October 2019 | |
| Coordinates | 35°04′28″S 148°06′25″E / 35.0744°S 148.1069°E |
| Crosses | Murrumbidgee River |
| Locale | Middleton Drive, Gundagai, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Owner | Transport for NSW (iron bridge) Crown Lands (timber viaduct) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Warren truss |
| Material | Wrought iron |
| Trough construction | Timber beam approaches |
| Pier construction | Cast iron cylindrical |
| Total length | 922 metres (3,025 ft) |
| Width | 6 metres (21 ft) |
| Longest span | 3 x 31 metres (103 ft) |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Piers in water | 2 |
| Clearance below | 12 metres (40 ft) |
| History | |
| Architect | William Christopher Bennett |
| Constructed by | Francis Bell |
| Built | 1864–1867 |
| Opened | 17 October 1867 (Toll levied) |
| Closed | 1984 (Timber viaduct closed to road and pedestrian traffic), Iron bridge still in use. |
| Replaced by | Sheahan Bridge (1977) |
| Statistics | |
| Official name | Prince Alfred Bridge - Iron Road Bridge; Iron Bridge over Murrumbidgee River at Gundagai |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 5 July 2019 |
| Reference no. | 2022 |
| Type | Road Bridge |
| Category | Transport – Land |
| Builders | Francis Bell |
| Location | |
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The Prince Alfred Bridge is a wrought iron truss and timber beam partially-disused road bridge over the Murrumbidgee River and its floodplain at Middleton Drive, Gundagai, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. The heritage-listed road bridge was designed by William Christopher Bennett and built from 1864 to 1867 by Francis Bell. It is also known as Prince Alfred Bridge – Iron Road Bridge and Iron Bridge over Murrumbidgee River at Gundagai. The iron bridge is owned by Transport for NSW and the timber viaduct is owned by Crown Lands. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 July 2019 and on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978.
In 1977, the 1,143-metre-long (3,750 ft) Sheahan Bridge replaced the Prince Alfred Bridge as the Hume Highway crossing of the Murrumbidgee River. The Sheahan Bridge was duplicated in 2010. Since the opening of the Sheahan Bridge, the Prince Alfred Bridge has served local traffic only. The timber spans on the Prince Alfred Bridge have deteriorated to such an extent that the 1896 side ramp has had to be reinstated, so that most of the northern approach is disused, and has deteriorated to the point where it is closed to vehicular traffic and pedestrians. The portion that remains in use consists of the wrought iron truss spans and a small number of timber spans at each end,