Garratt Road Bridge

Statement of Significance

The first bridge was built to cater to the motor car age, but at a time when the volume of traffic was not large, and thus is a demonstration of a way of life. However, it was not essentially the car which brought about the perceived need for the bridge. Belmont and Bayswater had been agitating since 1898 for a bridge between them.

The bridge also has historical significance as the result of a very long running campaign in both Bayswater and Belmont. The idea of a bridge was taken up by the Town Planning Commission in the late 1920s, the intended site being at Slade Street. However, the Tonkin Highway which crosses the River upstream has since reduced the overall importance of Garratt Road Bridge.

The bridge also has environmental significance, as it greatly altered the local human and physical environment by brining Bayswater and Belmont together and providing an additional river crossing between Perth and Guildford. It also made Garratt Road an important artery in the district, as formerly it had been of little consequence.

Finally, the bridge has social significance as the availability of a link between the two sides of the river meant that there was a flow of people across the river for work and commuting to Perth. It also attracted people to the riverside at Garratt Road which developed into the major riverside recreation area in the district and remained so until the early 1970s.

Physical Description

The Garratt Road Bridge comprises two separate road bridges separated by a bridge width, with the upstream one (Bridge 950) being used for southbound traffic as well as a foot bridge, and the downstream one (Bridge 952) being used for traffic travelling north. The upper bridge also carries two pipes with large diameters on its outer edges.

Both bridges are supported by timber piles driven into the river bed, linked with timber cross bracing and double beams top and bottom, then spanned by timber logs, which in turn support the wooden decking. The upper bridge, which is somewhat lower in height, has steel R. S. J. beams replacing the original upper linking wooden beams. The railing to both roadways is of steel safety variety, although the foot bridge retains the white painted wooden railing that was originally used throughout.

The 1935 bridge comprises 38 spans and is 237.89 metres in length. The width between kerbs is 8.38m. Round timber stringers and driven piles have been used. It was built as 37/20ft and 1/40ft, with 20ft width between kerbs and a 50ft footway.

History

The Garratt Road Bridge is part of an important artery which links the City of Bayswater with the City of Belmont, providing an important route to the Perth Airport. The structure has held a significant place in the history of metropolitan Perth long before it was built, as the idea of a bridge over the Swan River was an issue of concern to residents on either side of the river from the late 1890s. It was perhaps the subject of more deputations than any other issue in the district. The campaign for a bridge gathered momentum when the new Town Planning Commission took up the issue just before the Depression, strongly advocating the route which brings Slade Street, Bayswater as the possible site. Depression conditions frustrated this work along with many others, and when the idea was finally endorsed by the Main Roads Department the site had shifted to Garratt Road. Garratt Road thus went from a sidetrack to a major artery and in this process, some houses had to be demolished or shifted, including Wright's fishing business which was directly in the path of the bridge. This was on of the houses to be moved.

The bridge was opened on New Years Day 1935 and by the mid-1950s the traffic flow across the river had outgrown the bridge, and it was widened in 1962 to 27ft 6in between kerbs.

In 1970 it was duplicated with another bridge 7 yards downstream.

The 1935 now goes from Bayswater to Belmont, while the 1970 bridge goes in the opposite direction.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.