Park’s troubled bridge
QUEENS Park Bridge has been in the news, having been closed for urgent repairs and only reopening last week.
The value of the one-way bridge was keenly felt when it was initially closed after a truck carrying earthmoving equipment smashed into the top of the bridge in March.
Traffic snarls were the order of the day, prompting authorities to delay repair work until the school holidays.
The bridge was built in 1930 but it was not until the 1980s that there was any substantial housing development on the Highton side of the bridge overlooking Queens Park.
Since then the area has taken on all the traits of suburbia, albeit in a substantial and well-to-do manner with many homes overlooking the river and Queens Park.
As early as 1966, the Geelong Advertiser reported that Queens Park Bridge was in the news with Newtown and Chilwell City Council discussing the merits of widening the bridge to take two lanes.
The Advertiser said the Newtown council had received several letters from ratepayers complaining about the narrowness of the bridge.
The paper said the bridge was managed by Newtown and South Barwon councils.
The widening was a hot topic in 1984, when Newtown council had applied for funds to build a new bridge.
A Geelong Advertiser report said the Newtown and South Barwon councils had met with the State Government in 1981 to discuss the need for a new wider bridge.
The initial wooden Queens Park Bridge had been built in 1861, but this was swept away in the great floods of 1880.
The current steel bridge was built in 1930 with a view that it be flood proof.
It has proven to be the case, with flood waters seen flowing over the roadway on the bridge during major floods in 1995. Contact: peterjohnbegg@gmail.com