Kempsey Bridge - 1959 - Macleay River, Kempsey, NSW, Australia
S 31° 04.842 E 152° 50.534
56J E 484951 N 6561443
The Kempsey 'Overhead Braced', Steel Truss Bridge, built in 1959, crosses the Macleay River, on what had been the Pacific Highway, until the town was bypassed.
Waymark Code: WMXR4E
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 02/17/2018
Views: 2
The plaque on the concrete parapet on the western end of the bridge (northern side), next to the pedestrian path reads:
" This bridge was opened
by
Hon J.B. Renshaw M.L.A.
Deputy Premier and Treasurer
of New South Wales
on
21st November, 1959."
This steel 'Simple Span', Through Truss', Truss Bridge replaced a wooden Truss Bridge, that had been built in 1900, and one, which it's designer, Percy Allan, called, “the most important timber bridge in NSW", as it featured the longest non-composite timber spans in Australia, each 153 feet. 2011_Bridge_Berger_1: "History of Howe Truss Bridges in Australia" - PDF document.
"To ensure that the length of ironbark timber he needed for the bottom chords was available, Allan had a young engineer by the name of J.J.C. Bradfield go out with a theodolite to estimate the height of solid timber in the standing trees." [from above PDF document.]
Prior to the wooden bridge that was a little downstream of the current bridge, passengers crossed the Macleay River on a ferry.
With the 'recent' bypassing of Kempsey, [with the long bridge to Frederickton,] it has become a lot easier to stop near here, and take your photos at leisure.
Visited: 1608, Sunday, 30 April, 2017