Media gallery
Category: Parks, playgrounds and reserves
Project management
Managed by the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters on behalf of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and the Town of Walkerville.
The heritage listed Gilberton Swing Bridge (the Swing Bridge) is located within the River Torrens Linear Park, connecting the suburbs of St Peters and Gilberton and is jointly owned by the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and the Town of Walkerville.
The Swing Bridge holds great historical significance having been used by pedestrians for almost 100 years and is valued by the local community.
On Saturday 13 January 2018, more than 70 people joined the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and the Town of Walkerville as the new Gilberton Swing Bridge was officially opened by Mayors Robert Bria and Ray Grigg.
The cost of the project was split between the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and the Town of Walkerville.
Background
In 2012, both councils identified that the structure was coming to the end of its useful life and as seen in 2013, a detailed assessment of the Swing Bridge was undertaken and identified the need for a major redevelopment.
As such, the work was budgeted for by both Councils in their 2015-2016 budgets.
The Swing Bridge then sustained extensive damage during the storm events which occurred in September 2016 and was deemed unsafe for public access.
As public safety is a priority for both councils, a joint decision was made to temporarily close the Swing Bridge to undertake a total refurbishment of the structure.
Developing a decision which respects the historical uniqueness of the Swing Bridge and at the same time meets modern standards has contributed significantly to delaying timeframes.
Completed bridge
The new Gilberton Swing Bridge has been designed and built with the historical significance, heritage and aesthetics of the old bridge front of mind, whilst incorporating new elements which adhere to current safety and design standards.
A remarkable fact about the new bridge is that almost 400,000 plastic bags were diverted from landfill and recycled through ‘Replas’ to produce the decking. In fact, over the previous ten years, the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters alone has diverted well over five million plastic bags from landfill to be recycled through Replas. These recycled bags have been used to make products such as decking, furniture, bollards and signage.
One of the key visual changes to the bridge is the addition of chain wire mesh fencing along both sides of the bridge, to meet the required safety standards. The existing frames from the original bridge have been re-used for both aesthetic and heritage purposes, which sit alongside the new frames at each end of the bridge. The main cables, new frames and footings at each end of the bridge have also improved to meet modern day design standards.
