Kurilpa Bridge

Kurilpa Bridge was officially opened by the Honourable Anna Bligh MP, Premier of Queensland, on Sunday 4 October 2009 in a ceremony held at Kurilpa Park, South Brisbane. 

After the official proceedings, celebrations continued as thousands of people came to witness this historic event and be among the first to cross the bridge. Festivities included a smorgasbord of live family entertainment and children’s activities throughout Kurilpa Park and the Cultural Centre, including a free sausage sizzle, proudly supported by 4KQ.

The pedestrian and bicycle bridge, which links the Brisbane City centre with South Brisbane is expected to be used by 36 500 people each week.

Overview

To view the final photo of project progress click here.

The $63.3 million Kurilpa Bridge is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge in Brisbane’s inner city, linking the city centre and South Brisbane and completing a pedestrian and bicycle loop linking the city and South Bank via the Goodwill Bridge.

The bridge is part of the Brisbane City Centre Master Plan 2006 prepared by the Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2008-2026.

The project was completed in October 2009, in time for Queensland's 150th year anniversary celebrations.

Location

The bridge stretches from the North Quay end of Tank Street in the city to Kurilpa Point in South Brisbane, adjacent to the new Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. This is the point where the CBD Reach and the Milton Reach of the river meet.

Use

With 1500 people moving into South East Queensland each week, Brisbane is now at the centre of the fastest growing urban region in Australia. As the city continues to grow and inner city residential developments flourish, the demand for improved pedestrian and cycle pathways will grow.

Kurilpa Bridge provides an environmentally-friendly and enjoyable walking and cycling pathway to the city from South Brisbane.

It is expected that 36 500 people will cross Kurilpa Bridge each week.

Project background

On Monday 5 March 2007, the then Premier Peter Beattie announced the preferred tenderer for the Kurilpa Bridge Project.

Baulderstone Pty Ltd, was selected as the preferred tenderer to design and construct the bridge.

Local design consultants Cox Rayner Architects and ARUP Engineers, form part of the company’s design team.

The Department of Public Works' project team worked closely with the preferred tenderer to finalise the design and development of the bridge.

The Honourable Anna Bligh MP, Premier of Queensland, announced Baulderstone Pty Ltd, as the successful Contractor on Monday 1 October 2007.

Bridge features

Sculptural in appearance, with a network of steel masts seemingly held in suspension by a delicate cross stitching of high wire tensioned cables, Brisbane’s Kurilpa Bridge is a fitting link between its cultural precinct on the southbank of the river and its Law Courts precinct in the CBD.

The bridge is a multiple-mast, cable-stay structure based on principles of tensegrity, an architectural and engineering system in which the structural integrity is a synergy between balanced tension and compression components. This produces a lightweight yet strong and stable structure.

The new bridge presents an artistic array of cables and flying struts recalling the ropes and spars of sailing ships and boats.

Offering expansive views of the river, it features two large viewing and relaxation platforms, two rest areas and a continuous all-weather canopy for the entire length of the bridge.

Contact information

For further information about this project, please contact Jeff Griffin:

Phone: 3224 4916
Email: jeff.griffin@publicworks.qld.gov.au
Fax: 07 3225 8105 – Attn: Kurilpa Bridge Project Team

Mail:
Jeff Griffin
Executive Director
Strategic Projects
Department of Public Works
GPO Box 2457
Brisbane QLD 4001