The “Bridge to No Where” Celebrates 50 Years

Fifty years ago, one the most significant changes of Empire Bay and Bensville residents was about to enter their life. The Rip Bridge.

The Rip Bridge was opened for traffic on 14 June 1974 by Sir Charles Cutler, Acting Premier for New South Wales. From 1971 to 1974 locals watched while this massive yet graceful structure inched towards completion. Connecting the Woy Woy Peninsula with villages along the eastern side of Brisbane Water, The Rip Bridge was believed to have been the first cantilever bridge of its type in the world. Fast flowing currents below the bridge site and the need to keep the channel clear of navigation hazards prevented the sinking of more traditional pylons.

Surprisingly, not everyone was convinced a bridge across the Rip was necessary or logical. When the Rip Bridge project was initially announced it was dubbed by some as a “white elephant”. Businesses and several Gosford Council members questioned her worth. The then Gosford Shire President, Councillor Jim Laurenson called the proposal “a disaster”, a “$3,000,000 mistake”, the “bridge to nowhere” and a “complete waste of money” before the 1st concrete span had been hoisted. To many, there seemed little need to provide a road link to the eastern side of Brisbane Water.

The Department of Main Roads (DMR), for once, can claim victory. They pushed aside these objections and completed the Rip Bridge using unique design and construction techniques that has become a milestone in the history of bridge construction in NSW.

New methods of construction had to be designed and used. Precast concrete sections (manufactured in Seven Hills) were assembled on site and held together with post tensioning cables eliminating the need for temporary supporting scaffolding. The Bridge has an overall length of 330m and at the time was the longest prestressed concrete cantilever span in New South Wales. The deck is 11.25m wide. The maximum height of the deck above sea level is 19.5m. The bridge was constructed under contract by John Holland (Constructions) Pty. Ltd. to designs prepared by the Department of Main Roads.

The bridge was completed within a construction time of 140 weeks at a contract price of $A2.17 M.

Interestingly, David Holland comments (3), “I met the engineer who designed the bridge. He explained that when he was designing and building the bridge he was allowing for a settling of the spans from each bank as they were coming together.  Gravity was expected to distort the reinforced concrete structure allowing the bridge to settle together in the middle. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and the bridge halves stayed true leaving an angle, however so slight, in the middle of the bridge. Consequently, the engineer had to redesign the centre part of the bridge so it would join smoothly. The retrofit gives the bridge a slight hump in the middle.”The water below the bridge has two vast and deep holes, one each side of the bridge. They are more than 30 meter deep.

You can learn more about the construction of the Rip Bridge in this contemporary film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpnutgevVS8

In the 1960s and early 70s there were small villages, with comparatively few permanent residents, in that area. The builders of The Rip Bridge predicted the growth of permanent residents and the need to link these with the Woy Woy Peninsula. The Bridge itself could arguably be said to have contributed in a substantial way to the lives of many thousands of residents since opening.

Today the Rip Bridge is an important and indispensable road link for the residents of Empire Bay and Bensville.

By Robert Thompson

Source:
1.    Transportation Research Board website.
2.    Central Coast Library, Geoff Potter.
3.    David Holland, Habitat Centre for Arts website.

Rip Bridge Construction Photograph Feb 1973

Rip Bridge Construction Photograph July 1973