This bridge opened in 1886 when the Sydney and NSW rail systems were undergoing a period of rapid expansion.
John Whitton was a the designer of this bridge, was a prominent railway engineer in the late nineteenth century, being the man behind the famous Zig-Zag Railway which descends from Clarence in the Blue Mountains to Lithgow.
The wrought iron structure and cast iron cylinders were imported from England, and the above-track sections are locally made steel lattice trusses.
The bridge has deteriorated since it was made redundant in 1980, but even in its corroded state it is still an elegant structure surviving from the first major programme of iron bridge construction in the colony.
The bridge has now been turned into a pedestrian and bicycle way across the river.
The ramp at the end of the road is the site of the original punt crossing the Parramatta River, which was in service from the 1830s until the opening of the Ryde Bridge in 1935.
After the small fire 6 weeks ago, this bridge is still closed. When will it be open to pedestrians and cyclists again, Canada Bay Council?
I don’t understand the comment it was “made redundant” in 1980. It is still a fully utilised rail bridge as well as a cycle/pedestrian way.