Tomorrow marks half a century since the State’s iconic Tasman Bridge was officially opened.
One of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Tasmania, the Tasman Bridge is part of the Tasman Highway, a key strategic traffic route from Hobart’s Central Business District to the Eastern Shore.
Construction began on the bridge in April 1960, with more than 400 workers employed on site at peak times.
First opened to two lanes of traffic on 18 August 1964, all four lanes were operational on 23 December 1964.
The official opening by the Queen’s uncle, and a former Governor-General of Australia, HRH Prince Henry, The Duke of Gloucester, occurred on 29 March 1965.
It was almost 10 years later when disaster struck at 9.27pm on Sunday 5 January 1975, with the bulk carrier MV Lake Illawarra colliding with the bridge, bringing down three spans and claiming 12 lives.
The 40th anniversary of this tragic event was commemorated earlier this year.
The rebuilt and upgraded bridge, with a fifth lane and extra safety measures, was reopened on 8 October 1977.
Today, the Tasman Bridge remains not only Hobart’s but also Tasmania’s most important transport infrastructure asset.
Bridge Statistics:
* Length – overall including approaches – 1417.3m
* Width – 17.37m
* Clearance – more than 45.7m above sea level
* Navigation spans – 94.48m overall
* Quantities of materials – 145,000 tonnes of concrete, 5200 tonnes of steel reinforcement, 116.68km of high tensile steel wire strand and steel bar, 216 bored piles. The deepest pile is 80.77m below sea level.
Media please note: A brochure produced in 1965 for the opening of the Tasman Bridge is available. Contact Anthony Haneveer as below.