Брисбендегі мұражайлық көпір: Хорнибрук тарихы

Heritage bridge in Brisbane, Australia

Handsome art deco concrete abutment arches frame the entry and exit approaches. Construction of the bridge was important for the growth of the Redcliffe City peninsula and made the commute to Brisbane shorter and quicker, increasing population growth and the number of visitors to the seaside location. The bridge was known colloquially by the locals as the "Humpity Bump" because the road surface of the bridge was so buckled. During king tides, waves would crash into (and sometimes onto) the bridge spraying the cars as they crossed. The bridge was operated and maintained by a private company and a toll applied until 1975, with toll booths located on the Clontarf (north) end. The Hornibrook Bridge was the first of three bridges to cross Bramble Bay. The second bridge is the publicly funded (non tolled) Houghton Highway bridge, which was built with the intention of duplicating the crossing capacity of the two lane Hornibrook Bridge in the 1970s, but the upgrading of the original Hornibrook Bridge was subsequently found to be uneconomic. The bridge closed to traffic in 1979 with the opening of the Houghton Highway, which had been intended to provide a duplicated crossing. The third bridge, the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in July 2010, delivering the desired capacity increase and resulting in the demolition of the original Hornibrook Bridge, which had been used as a pedestrian and bicycle only bridge since 1979.

The Hornibrook Highway Bridge was constructed in the years 1932–1935, by the firm of M. R. Hornibrook. Conceived as a response to high unemployment during the Great Depression, it also represented an opportunity to end the isolation of the residents of the Redcliffe Peninsula. Before its closure, the Hornibrook Bridge was the longest footbridge in the world. Subsequently, the Poughkeepsie Bridge, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, became the world's longest footbridge. Despite the heritage listing of the Hornibrook Bridge in 1994, safety concerns about the rotting deck timbers led to the decision to demolish most of the bridge in mid 2011, retaining the north and south portals and of bridge at the northern end for use by fishermen. The northern end of the bridge was officially reopened on 14 September 2011 as the Hays Inlet Fishing and Recreation Platform by Craig Wallace, Minister for Main Roads, Fisheries and Marine Infrastructure. The Hornibrook Highway was a major catalyst in accelerating the urban development of the Redcliffe Peninsula and its surrounding area. In its planning, construction and operation it represented a major innovation in construction activities in Queensland at a time of economic crisis.