Bribie Island Bridge

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Bribie Island Bridge is a reinforced concrete road bridge in Queensland, Australia. It connects Sandstone Point on the mainland with Bellara/Bongaree on Bribie Island, crossing the Pumicestone Passage. The bridge is about 832 metres long, has two lanes, and a 7.3-metre clearance for boats.

Construction started in July 1961 and the bridge opened on 19 October 1963. It cost about $716,000. A toll was charged to cross the bridge until 1975, which caused strong feelings in the community. In the first week, about 14,000 cars crossed the bridge. The toll ended on 22 March 1975, and since then crossing has been toll-free.

Over the years the bridge has needed maintenance. In 1997 some piles were coated, and from 2013 to 2020 eight more piles were protected after further studies. The pylons have protective coatings to resist salt corrosion. Engineers estimate the bridge’s life to around 2031.

There have been plans to replace the bridge with a new four-lane structure, but demolishing the old bridge would be very expensive. In 2014 the government looked at building a new $700 million bridge next to the existing one and using the old bridge for westbound traffic. The new bridge would have two eastbound lanes, an emergency lane, a wider pedestrian path, and pelican perches over the water. The plan also includes widening the nearby Caboolture–Bribie road.

In 2023–2024, discussions included turning the old bridge into a green pedestrian and bike route, but the main plan moved forward with a new two-lane eastbound bridge while keeping the existing bridge for westbound traffic. The project would add traffic signals near the Sandstone Point access, pelican perches, and a wider transport path, along with other road upgrades in the area.