The Queensland government has unveiled a new design for a pedestrian bridge that will connect the Brisbane CBD to major cultural attractions, while easing nearby congestion.
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A new pedestrian bridge for Brisbane CBD is on the horizon, having been designed by Grimshaw Architects.
This is simply one part of the wider Queen’s Wharf casino development, which is set to be completed in 2022, along with the bridge.
At 4.5 metres wide, the bridge will run diagonally across the Brisbane River to connect the hotel precinct with South Bank.
The Neville Bonner Bridge is named after Australia’s first Indigenous parliamentarian, to commemorate
his service to the nation. Neville Bonner AO was born under a palm tree at Tweed Heads. He served as a respected senator for 12 years and died in 1999 – but not before securing economic, educational and social opportunities for Aboriginal people.
The bridge will be located almost directly over the point where Europeans first landed to colonise Brisbane in 1825.
And it’s only for pedestrians, who will benefit from the connection forged between the CBD and Brisbane’s main cultural attractions (including the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the South Bank Parklands). There’s hope this addition will help to ease congestion on nearby cycling routes.
The bridge has been designed to create “a unique and elegant structure that brings identity to the [Queen’s Wharf] development and wider area,” according to a report by the architects.
In order for the wider Queen’s Wharf development to become a reality, four buildings will have to be demolished.
This could be a worthy sacrifice, considering the project will become Queensland’s largest
private sector redevelopment, covering 20 percent of the Brisbane CBD, which is now historically significant state-owned land.
In addition to the Neville Bronner Bridge, the $3 billion casino and hotel development will include five hotels, a casino, 50 restaurants and a sky deck. It will be the home of Brisbane’s first 6 star hotel, feature a riverfront moonlight cinema, a new department store, three residential towers and more than 12 football fields worth of public space.
The final design of the Neville Bronner Bridge is currently underway.
