Burke Road Bridge

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The Burke Road Bridge is a bridge that carries Burke Road from Kew East to Ivanhoe East across the Eastern Freeway and Yarra River.

History

Previous bridges

The second Burke Road Bridge under construction in 1924.

The first bridge in this location was built in 1873. This wooden bridge was replaced by a modern concrete bridge, opened on 30 July 1926, at a cost of £17,000.[1] It carried 408 vehicles per day when it first opened.[2] Almost immediately after the bridge was opened, residents and councils on both sides began lobbying for public transport services in form of buses and trams to connect the two sides of the River.[3] In 1929, Heidelberg City Council proposed extending the existing railway bus from Harp Road in Kew East along Burke Road to connect to Ivanhoe.[4] This appears to have occurred, as the present-day route 548 bus follows this exact route today. However, although the bridge was built to accommodate trams, a tramway was never built.[5]

Photograph of the grand opening of the second Burke Road Bridge on 30 July 1926. The caption notes the "probable" extension of a tramway to link Ivanhoe and Kew, but this never eventuated despite lobbying efforts from both sides of the Yarra River.

This bridge was also damaged in the severe flood of the Yarra River in 1934. It was forced to close for a month so that Kew City Council could effect repairs.[6]

In 1938, Camberwell City Council purchased 110 acres of land adjacent to the bridge for use as a park.[7] This is the present-day Musca Street Reserve.

Current bridge

The final and present-day bridge was built in the late 1970s during the construction of the first stages of the Eastern Freeway.

These first two bridges followed an indirect alignment that turned west heading towards Ivanhoe.

References

  1. "PROGRESS OF WORK AT BURKE ROAD BRIDGE.", 21 July 1925, p. 9. Retrieved on 11 March 2021.
  2. Metropolitan Town Planning Commission. La Trobe University: Melbourne. 1926. https://arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/3/4/0/1/public/SOURCE04.pdf, accessed: 11 March 2021
  3. "BURKE ROAD BRIDGE.", 23 July 1925, p. 13. Retrieved on 11 March 2021.
  4. "HEIDELBERG MOTOR BUSES.", 22 August 1929, p. 11. Retrieved on 11 March 2021.
  5. "IN THE SUBURBS.", 13 July 1925, p. 12. Retrieved on 11 March 2021.
  6. "Wallen Road Bridge Again In Danger", 5 December 1934, p. 5. Retrieved on 11 March 2021.
  7. "NEW PARK AREA", 15 July 1938, p. 2. Retrieved on 11 March 2021.

See also