Editing Story Bridge (section)

==History==

Given the early settlement of [[Kangaroo Point, Queensland|Kangaroo Point]], there is a long history of residents wanting a bridge between the [[Brisbane CBD]] and Kangaroo Point. Even while the first [[Victoria Bridge, Brisbane|Victoria Bridge]] was being constructed between North Brisbane and [[South Brisbane]] in 1865, several hundred people were petitioning for a second bridge to be built from the [[Customs House, Brisbane|Customs House]] to Kangaroo Point.<ref> [[The Brisbane Courier]]. |date=16 March 1865 |access-date=6 August 2015 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In 1888, a meeting was held in the [[First Brisbane Town Hall|Brisbane Town Hall]] to demand a bridge connecting either [[George Street, Brisbane|George Street]], [[Albert Street, Brisbane|Albert Street]] or [[Edward Street, Brisbane|Edward Street]] via the [[City Botanic Gardens]] with any loss of the land from the gardens to be potentially compensated by removing [[Government House, Brisbane|Government House]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187796383 |title=Brisbane River Bridge. |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |location=Brisbane |date=3 November 1888 |access-date=6 August 2015 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
===Planning===
A bridge downstream of the [[Victoria Bridge, Brisbane|Victoria Bridge]] was part of a larger plan, devised by [[Roger Hawken|Professor Roger Hawken]] of the [[University of Queensland]] in the 1920s, for a series of bridges over the [[Brisbane River]] to alleviate congestion on Victoria Bridge and to divert traffic away from the [[Brisbane central business district]]. The [[William Jolly Bridge]] was the first of the Hawken Plan bridges to be constructed. Lack of funds precluded the construction of the downstream bridge at that time. Initially plans called for a [[transporter bridge]] further downstream near [[New Farm, Queensland|New Farm]].

In 1926 Kangaroo Point was recommended by the Brisbane City Council's Cross River Commission.<ref name=thenandnow>{{cite book |title=Brisbane Then and Now |last=Gregory |first=Helen |year=2007 |publisher=Salamander Books |location=Wingfield, South Australia |isbn=978-1-74173-011-1 |page=92}}</ref> Subsequently, the bridge was constructed as a [[public works]] program during the [[Great Depression]]. The cost was to be no more than £1.6&nbsp;million.<ref name="pb">{{cite book |title=Petries Bight: a Slice of Brisbane History |last=Hacker |first=D. R. |year=1999 |publisher=Queensland Women's Historical Association Inc |location=Bowen Hills, Queensland |isbn=0-9590271-8-1 |pages=45–46 }}</ref>
[[File:Plans for the Brisbane River Bridge (later named Story Bridge), circa 1934.jpg|thumb|Plans for the "Brisbane River Bridge", {{Circa|1934}}]]

===Construction===
[[File:StateLibQld 1 115280 Brisbane River and Story Bridge, 1939.jpg|thumb|left|The bridge under construction.]]
Before the opening of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] in 1932 the [[Government of Queensland]] asked [[John Bradfield (engineer)|John Bradfield]] to design a new bridge in [[Brisbane]].{{cn|date=August 2021}}

The Queensland Government appointed [[John Bradfield (engineer)|John Bradfield]] on 15 December 1933 as consulting engineer to the Bureau of Industry who were in charge of the construction of the bridge. In June 1934 Bradfield's recommendation of a steel cantilever bridge was approved. The design for the bridge was based heavily on that of the [[Jacques Cartier Bridge]] in [[Montreal]], completed in 1930.<ref name="thenandnow" /> On 30 April 1935 a consortium of two Queensland companies, [[Evans Deakin]] and [[Hornibrook Constructions]], won the tender with a bid of £1,150,000.<ref name="lhbris" /><ref name="moy">'Story Bridge: Idea to Icon' by Michael Moy, published Alpha Orion Press, Brisbane, 2005</ref>

[[File:Inspection of the Story Bridge.png|thumb|left|[[Governor of Queensland]] [[Leslie Orme Wilson|Sir Leslie Orme Wilson]] and consulting engineer Bradfield inspecting the bridge, 7 July 1938]]
Construction on the bridge began on 24 May 1935,<ref name="lhbris"/> with the first sod being turned by the then [[Premiers of Queensland|Premier of Queensland]], [[William Forgan Smith]]. Components for the bridge were fabricated in a purpose-built factory at [[Rocklea, Queensland|Rocklea]]. There are 1.25&nbsp;million rivets (metal pins or bolts) in the Story Bridge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au/your-brisbane-bridge-climb-questions-answered/|title=Your Brisbane Bridge Climb Questions Answered!|website=Story Bridge Adventure Climb|date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304153456/https://storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au/your-brisbane-bridge-climb-questions-answered/|archive-date=4 March 2019|url-status=live|access-date=6 May 2019}}</ref> During its construction, work sometimes continued 24 hours per day.<ref name="pb"/> The bridge has only one pier on the northern bank but two piers on the lower southern bank, one to bear the weight (the main pier) and, further to the south, one to prevent the bridge from twisting (the anchor pier). There was no need for an anchor pier on the northern bank as the bridge was anchored into [[schist]] cliff face. The primary challenge in constructing the bridge was the southern foundations that went {{convert|40|m}} below ground level. It was not possible to excavate to that level as water from the river would rapidly seep in. So a pneumatic [[Caisson (engineering)|caisson]] technique had to be used. As men were working under pressures of up to 4 times normal air pressure, a decompression period of almost 2 hours was needed at the end of each shift to avoid the [[Decompression sickness|bends]]. An on-site air lock hospital successfully treated the 65 cases of the bends that occurred.<ref name=moy/> On 28 October 1939 the gap between the two sides was closed.<ref name="lhbris"/> A concrete decking was then laid, covered by a Trinidad pitch topping. The bridge was painted and sodium lighting was installed. The bridge approaches were also prepared.<ref name=moy/>

Three men died during the construction of the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40948299|title=Bridge Cost Three Men Their Lives|date=29 June 1940|issue=2129|location=Brisbane|page=18|via=National Library of Australia|newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]]|access-date=8 June 2017}}</ref> On 22 November 1937, Hans James Zimmerman slipped and fell {{convert|75|ft}} to the ground.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124595787|title=First Story Bridge Fatality |date=23 November 1937|newspaper=[[Queensland Times]]|access-date=3 August 2017|issue=15,915|volume=LXXVIII |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On 7 February 1939, Alfred William Jackson fell from the bridge into the river. Although pulled from the water alive, he died 4 hours later in hospital without regaining consciousness.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70845883|title=Carpenter Falls From Story Bridge |date=9 February 1939|newspaper=[[The Central Queensland Herald]]|access-date=3 August 2017|issue=477|volume=10 |page=41|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On 6 December 1939, Arthur McKay (Max) Wharton was hit by a piece of equipment on a nerve that made him faint, falling from the bridge to the water; 18 months earlier Wharton saved another worker from falling from the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184753681|title=100 ft. Death Fall From New Bridge|date=6 December 1939|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]]|access-date=3 August 2017|location=Brisbane|page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Construction of a new underpass was begun on the southside in 2023 to facilitate access to the [[Kangaroo Point Green Bridge]].<ref name="nwt"/> In 2025 it was revealed the bridge was at risk of collapse and may need to be tolled to fund restoration works. Footpaths have been closed indefinitely and the bridge is at risk of demolition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/18/brisbane-grapples-with-multimillion-dollar-cost-revitalising-story-bridge|title=A bridge too far: Brisbane grapples with the multimillion-dollar cost of revitalising an icon|last=Messenger|first=Andrew|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=17 May 2025|access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref>  [[File:Brisbane City Skyline.jpg|thumb|center|949x949px|Panorama showing the location of the Story Bridge (left) relative to the Brisbane CBD.]]

=== Naming ===

Until it was completed, the bridge was known as the '''Jubilee Bridge''' in honour of [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]].<ref name="thenandnow" /> It was opened on 6 July 1940 by [[Leslie Orme Wilson|Sir Leslie Orme Wilson]], [[Governors of Queensland|Governor of Queensland]] and named after [[John Douglas Story]], a senior and influential public servant who had advocated strongly for the bridge's construction.<ref name="lhbris">{{cite book |title=Living History of Brisbane |last=Hogan |first=Janet |year=1982 |publisher=Boolarong Publications |location=Spring Hill, Queensland |isbn=0-908175-41-8 |page=109 }}</ref>