ANZAC Bridge

The Anzac Bridge spanning Johnstons Bay is one of Sydney's more recent landmarks. It was completed in 1995 to replace the former Glebe Island Bridge, a century old electrically operated swing bridge that was in operation since 1901, and provides a key link between Sydney City and the suburbs to the west via Victoria Road and an east-west route from the city to the M4 motorway at Concord.

Anzac Bridge has a main span of 345 metres, and a total length of more than 800 metres. From two 120-metre-high towers, 128 stay cables support the reinforced concrete deck. It is the longest cable-stayed span bridge in Australia and among the longest concrete cable-stayed span bridges in the world.

It was criticised by some as 'over-engineered' because of its size – with seven lanes for traffic. The criticism proved unfounded as the bridge was reconfigured for eight traffic lanes in 2005.

The bridge was given its current name on Remembrance Day in 1998 to honour the memory of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in World War I. An Australian Flag flies atop the eastern pylon and a New Zealand Flag flies atop the western pylon.

The bridge featured two fixed truss spans and an electronically operated swing span. The swing spans were among the largest in the world at the time the bridge was built and some of the earliest to be powered by electricity. The power came from the nearby Ultimo Power House which also powered Sydney’s trams. The four-lane bridge carried significant traffic loads and was in use until the opening of the current bridge.