Tom Uglys Bridge
Encyclopedia
Tom Uglys Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the Georges River
in southern Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
. It consists of two separate bridge
s that carry the Princes Highway
, linking the St George
area at Blakehurst
to the Sutherland Shire
at Sylvania
.
There are several theories about the origin of the name of the point. All the theories involve a distortion of the name of either a local European or Aboriginal resident of the area. One theory is that it was named after a local resident Tom Huxley and the name was a mispronunciation by local Aborigines. Descendants of Thomas Huxley have concluded that he lived and owned land in the area, but official records do not exist to verify this. An alternative theory is that the name is derived from the name of a local Aboriginal man, Tow-weiry, who lived in the area and died about 1846. Another theory is that there was a local fisherman resident in the area by the name of Tom Illigley. Yet another is that there was a one-legged man, possibly an army deserter or a boat operator, called either "Tom Woggleg" or "Wogul Leg Tom", either because of a mispronunciation of wooden leg, or from the local Aboriginal dialect word for "one".
The name was officially adopted to distinguish between the various bridges of the Georges River, after the opening of the Captain Cook Bridge
in 1965 and the Alfords Point Bridge
in 1973.
The ferry service was improved and expanded over the subsequent years. In 1882 a steam-driven ferry was installed, guided by steel cables. It crossed the river in less than 10 minutes. The punt was 54 feet (16.5 m) long and had a 11 feet (3.4 m) wide roadway. . It was capable of carrying six horse-drawn vehicles. By 1898 a larger steam-driven ferry began operation. It was capable of carrying 100 passengers and 15 vehicles. . A new punt capable of carrying 28 vehicles and making the crossing in three minutes was installed in 1922.
By 1929 there were two cable ferries operating, and delays of several hours were experienced on weekends and public holidays.
The crossing was first opened for traffic on 26 April 1929, and officially opened by the Governor of New South Wales on on 11 May 1929. It was then known as the "George's River Bridge".
The bridge was designed by Percy Allan, who designed many bridges in New South Wales, including the Pyrmont Bridge
. When the bridge was opened, it was the longest bridge in Australia.
The toll was collected on the Sylvania side of the bridge by toll collectors who stood on the road. The tolls were removed in 1952 when the bridge was repaid. The road was one lane in each direction in the 1940s & 1950s, and was converted to become three lanes tidal flow with two lanes in the direction of the peak flow until the opening of the second bridge.
In 2006, the 1929 steel truss bridge was repainted. The original lead paint was removed using a blasting process and an air extraction system was employed to safely remove airborne particles, protecting the environment as well as the workers.
The new bridge was designed to carry four lanes of traffic. During repair work on the 1929 bridge it has been configured both for one lane northbound and three lanes southbound, as well as two lanes in each direction. The current configuration is for three lanes southbound on the 1987 bridge, and three lanes northbound on the 1929 bridge.
spans forming a total length of 499 m (545 yds).
An interesting feature of the bridge complex is that the two bridges veer away from each other - they are less than 20 metres (65.6 ft) apart at the northern end, and about 100 metres (328.1 ft) apart at the southern end. Most duplicated bridges are close together (like the dual bridges
at Ryde
) allowing the form of the road approaches to continue. However, at Tom Uglys Bridge, the Princes Highway curves around to the left on the northbound approach to the 1929 bridge so this design allows the southbound approach to be much straighter.
Between the two bridges is a boat ramp, accessible from the northbound bridge approach. A loop road on the northern side allows drivers travelling south along the Princes Highway to avoid the bridge and return north along the highway.
Georges River
The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...
in southern Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
. It consists of two separate bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s that carry the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
, linking the St George
St George, New South Wales
St George Area is an unofficial name applied to a group of southern suburbs in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area includes all the suburbs in the local government areas of the City of Hurstville, the City of Rockdale and the Municipality of Kogarah...
area at Blakehurst
Blakehurst, New South Wales
Blakehurst is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blakehurst is located 18 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Kogarah and is part of the St George area.Blakehurst is connected to...
to the Sutherland Shire
Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...
at Sylvania
Sylvania, New South Wales
Sylvania is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania is located 22 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
.
Origin of the name
Tom Uglys Bridge took its name from the geographical feature at the northern end of the bridge, known as Tom Uglys Point. The point was known as Tom Uglys Point over 80 years prior to the construction of the bridge.There are several theories about the origin of the name of the point. All the theories involve a distortion of the name of either a local European or Aboriginal resident of the area. One theory is that it was named after a local resident Tom Huxley and the name was a mispronunciation by local Aborigines. Descendants of Thomas Huxley have concluded that he lived and owned land in the area, but official records do not exist to verify this. An alternative theory is that the name is derived from the name of a local Aboriginal man, Tow-weiry, who lived in the area and died about 1846. Another theory is that there was a local fisherman resident in the area by the name of Tom Illigley. Yet another is that there was a one-legged man, possibly an army deserter or a boat operator, called either "Tom Woggleg" or "Wogul Leg Tom", either because of a mispronunciation of wooden leg, or from the local Aboriginal dialect word for "one".
The name was officially adopted to distinguish between the various bridges of the Georges River, after the opening of the Captain Cook Bridge
Captain Cook Bridge, New South Wales
The Captain Cook Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the Georges River in Sydney, Australia. It crosses at the mouth of the river into Botany Bay....
in 1965 and the Alfords Point Bridge
Alfords Point Bridge, New South Wales
Alfords Point Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the lower Georges River. It was opened on the 7 September 1973. The bridge links Padstow Heights in the City of Bankstown to Alfords Point in the Sutherland Shire...
in 1973.
Tom Ugly's Point ferry
Tenders were called to construct a punt for Tom Ugly's point in 1864.A hand operated punt service from Tom Uglys Point to Horse Rock Point commenced.The ferry service was improved and expanded over the subsequent years. In 1882 a steam-driven ferry was installed, guided by steel cables. It crossed the river in less than 10 minutes. The punt was 54 feet (16.5 m) long and had a 11 feet (3.4 m) wide roadway. . It was capable of carrying six horse-drawn vehicles. By 1898 a larger steam-driven ferry began operation. It was capable of carrying 100 passengers and 15 vehicles. . A new punt capable of carrying 28 vehicles and making the crossing in three minutes was installed in 1922.
By 1929 there were two cable ferries operating, and delays of several hours were experienced on weekends and public holidays.
The 1929 bridge
The bill for the building of a bridge across the Georges River was introduced into State Parliament in 1923, and the foundation stone for the bridge was laid on 7 June 1924. The bridge construction was funded by Sutherland Shire Council, with borrowed money to be repaid by a toll on the bridge once it was opened.The crossing was first opened for traffic on 26 April 1929, and officially opened by the Governor of New South Wales on on 11 May 1929. It was then known as the "George's River Bridge".
The bridge was designed by Percy Allan, who designed many bridges in New South Wales, including the Pyrmont Bridge
Pyrmont Bridge
The Pyrmont Bridge is a swing bridge over Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia.-History and description:The first Pyrmont Bridge was opened on 17 March 1858, and was a wooden pile bridge with a iron centre swing span...
. When the bridge was opened, it was the longest bridge in Australia.
The toll was collected on the Sylvania side of the bridge by toll collectors who stood on the road. The tolls were removed in 1952 when the bridge was repaid. The road was one lane in each direction in the 1940s & 1950s, and was converted to become three lanes tidal flow with two lanes in the direction of the peak flow until the opening of the second bridge.
In 2006, the 1929 steel truss bridge was repainted. The original lead paint was removed using a blasting process and an air extraction system was employed to safely remove airborne particles, protecting the environment as well as the workers.
The 1987 bridge
A second bridge, which opened on 17 October 1987, was built adjacent to alleviate traffic congestion.The new bridge was designed to carry four lanes of traffic. During repair work on the 1929 bridge it has been configured both for one lane northbound and three lanes southbound, as well as two lanes in each direction. The current configuration is for three lanes southbound on the 1987 bridge, and three lanes northbound on the 1929 bridge.
Description
The 1929 bridge consists of six steel trussTruss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
spans forming a total length of 499 m (545 yds).
An interesting feature of the bridge complex is that the two bridges veer away from each other - they are less than 20 metres (65.6 ft) apart at the northern end, and about 100 metres (328.1 ft) apart at the southern end. Most duplicated bridges are close together (like the dual bridges
Ryde Bridge
The Ryde Bridge, which is in fact two bridges, is located in Sydney, Australia that crosses the Parramatta River, linking the suburb of Ryde in Sydney's Northern Suburbs to the suburb of Rhodes in Sydney's Inner West...
at Ryde
Ryde, New South Wales
Ryde is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ryde is located 13 km north-west of the Sydney central business district and 8 km east of Parramatta. Ryde is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Ryde and part of the Northern Suburbs area...
) allowing the form of the road approaches to continue. However, at Tom Uglys Bridge, the Princes Highway curves around to the left on the northbound approach to the 1929 bridge so this design allows the southbound approach to be much straighter.
Between the two bridges is a boat ramp, accessible from the northbound bridge approach. A loop road on the northern side allows drivers travelling south along the Princes Highway to avoid the bridge and return north along the highway.