Go Between Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Go Between Bridge, formerly known as the Hale Street Link, is a toll bridge
for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists over the Brisbane River
in innercity Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
. The bridge connects Merivale and Cordelia Streets in West End
to Hale Street and the Inner City Bypass at Milton
. It is Brisbane's first inner-city traffic bridge in 40 years and is expected to carry around 12,000 vehicles per day. The bridge opened to traffic in the early hours on 5 July 2010.
The Go Between Bridge is named after the popular Australian indie rock
band The Go-Betweens
, which was formed in Brisbane. The bridge is part of Campbell Newman's
TransApex
transport plan. It allows drivers to save 15 minutes of travel during peak hour
as vehicles will be able to avoid congestion on the William Jolly Bridge
.
A charity concert featuring Robert Forster
from the The Go-Betweens
and other singers was held on 25 June, followed by a community open day on 4 July 2010.
caused delays for motorists and resulted in temporary changes to associated public transport services.
The final concrete pour for the main bridge span occurred on 2 December 2009. The construction cost for the bridge was AU
$338 million.
structure built using balanced cantilever construction. The main bridge span is 117 metres long, supported by two river piers located 74 metres north and 80 metres south of the abutments on each river bank. The pathways are 3.6 metres wide and designed for equitable access. A pedestrian pathway is located on the eastern (city) side of the bridge and a cycleway on the western (Toowong) side. As the Go Between Bridge is steep, the pedestrian path is being built as a separate structure at a lesser grade. This allows for the path gradient to comply with equitable and disabled access requirements.
with electronic tag and video matching payment options.
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists over the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
in innercity Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The bridge connects Merivale and Cordelia Streets in West End
West End, Queensland
West End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....
to Hale Street and the Inner City Bypass at Milton
Milton, Queensland
Milton is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located approximately west of Brisbane's central business district. The suburb is a mixture of light industry, warehouses, commercial offices, retail and single and multiple occupancy residences...
. It is Brisbane's first inner-city traffic bridge in 40 years and is expected to carry around 12,000 vehicles per day. The bridge opened to traffic in the early hours on 5 July 2010.
The Go Between Bridge is named after the popular Australian indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
, which was formed in Brisbane. The bridge is part of Campbell Newman's
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman is the leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He was the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 to 2011....
TransApex
TransApex
TransApex is a transport plan devised by the former Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to connect existing motorways and major arterial roads with new transport links and divert cross-city traffic out of the Brisbane CBD. The plan is currently being delivered by Brisbane City Council at an...
transport plan. It allows drivers to save 15 minutes of travel during peak hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
as vehicles will be able to avoid congestion on the William Jolly Bridge
William Jolly Bridge, Brisbane
The William Jolly Bridge is a vehicular and pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a steel frame arch bridge with an unusual concrete veneer and was opened to traffic on 30 March 1932 by Sir John Goodwin, the Governor of Queensland.When opened, during...
.
A charity concert featuring Robert Forster
Robert Forster (musician)
Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, best known for his work with songwriting partner Grant McLennan, with whom he co-founded The Go-Betweens.Forster grew up in Brisbane, Australia attending Brisbane Grammar School...
from the The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
and other singers was held on 25 June, followed by a community open day on 4 July 2010.
Protests
The bridge was unpopular with many residents of West End, and with some parents from the West End State school who were concerned about increased traffic and air pollution. The "Stop the Hale Street Bridge Alliance" was formed to voice these concerns. At the start of the bridge's construction two protesters were arrested for allegedly writing graffiti on a wall surrounding the project site.Construction
Construction began in July 2008 and the project was completed in early July 2010. The bridge was built by The Hale Street Link Alliance (HSLA) which consisted of four companies; Bouygues Travaux Publics, Macmahon Holdings, Seymour Whyte Holdings and Hyder Consulting. During construction lane closures on Coronation DriveCoronation Drive, Brisbane
Coronation Drive , popularly known as Coro Drive, is a road in Brisbane, Queensland which connects the Central Business District to the suburb of Toowong...
caused delays for motorists and resulted in temporary changes to associated public transport services.
The final concrete pour for the main bridge span occurred on 2 December 2009. The construction cost for the bridge was AU
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
$338 million.
Bridge structure
The Go Between Bridge is a four-lane bridge with dedicated pedestrian and cycle pathways. It is a three span, twin concrete box girderBox girder bridge
A box girder bridge is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises either prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section...
structure built using balanced cantilever construction. The main bridge span is 117 metres long, supported by two river piers located 74 metres north and 80 metres south of the abutments on each river bank. The pathways are 3.6 metres wide and designed for equitable access. A pedestrian pathway is located on the eastern (city) side of the bridge and a cycleway on the western (Toowong) side. As the Go Between Bridge is steep, the pedestrian path is being built as a separate structure at a lesser grade. This allows for the path gradient to comply with equitable and disabled access requirements.
Naming
A naming competition for the bridge was held through the website www.NameThatBridge.com, with eleven shortlisted suggestions put to a "popular vote", attracting less than 6,000 votes. The winning name was announced on 29 September 2009.Toll
Initially the Brisbane City Council planned to recover the cost of the bridge by collecting a toll of $2.70 per vehicle. However due to budget savings this amount was reduced to $1.50 until the end of 2010, then for the first six months of 2011 it cost $2.00, rising to $2.35 plus CPI from July 2011. The bridge features free-flow tollingOpen road tolling
Open road tolling or free-flow tolling is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major advantage to ORT is that users are able to drive through the toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow...
with electronic tag and video matching payment options.
Patronage
In July 2010, 9,000 vehicles per day were using the bridge, increasing to 11,725 by mid September 2010. It is expected that this figure would rise to 17,500 by 2011 and in 2021 be 21,000 vehicles. During its first year of operation the bridge collected A$8.18 million from tolls but costs $30 million to operate. During that period the highest number of daily uses was 15,783 on the 24 March 2011.See also
- South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and ProgramSouth East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and ProgramThe South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2010–2031 is produced by the Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning and outlines estimated infrastructure investment across South East Queensland Australia to 2031. It represents a long-term commitment to infrastructure...
- TransApexTransApexTransApex is a transport plan devised by the former Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to connect existing motorways and major arterial roads with new transport links and divert cross-city traffic out of the Brisbane CBD. The plan is currently being delivered by Brisbane City Council at an...
- Transport in BrisbaneTransport in BrisbaneTransport in Brisbane, the capital and largest city of Queensland, Australia, is provided by road, rail, river and bay ferries, footpaths, bikepaths, sea and air....