Smollet Street Bridge over Bungambrawatha Creek

Item

Name of Item	Smollet Street Bridge over Bungambrawatha Creek
Item Number	4301661
Type of Item	Built
Item Sub-Type	Pre-1930 Metal Road Bridges
Roadloc
Address	**** Riverina Highway Albury 2640
Local Government Area	Albury City
Owner	Roads and Maritime Services (replacing Roads and Traffic Authority)
Current Use	Road bridge
Former Use	Road bridge

Statement of significance

The Smollet Street Bridge has significance because:

* it has been an important item of infrastructure in the history of New South Wales and Albury for 110 years.

* it is a technically sophisticated bridge structure for its time and was designed by Public Works engineer, John A McDonald.

* it has strong aesthetic lines,

* it contributed significantly to the social and commercial development of southern New South Wales, particularly the Riverina District around Albury,

* it is a rare example of this type of bridge in New South Wales.

This bridge has been assessed as being of State significance.

Date Significance Updated

13 November 2003

Description

Designer	John A McDonald (DMR Engineer)
Builder	Mr F. Romero

Construction years	**** - 1888
Physical description	The Smollet Street Bridge over the Bungambrawatha Creek is an elegant wrought iron arch Bridge. The deck is supported by curved wrought iron parabolic half ribs riveted in pairs and connected to five three-pinned arches. The arches consist of sets of two channel irons placed back to back. The deck is a conventional combination of iron beams atop the arch ribs at the crown, with iron buckled plates between them, and covered by the road topping, originally tarred gravel but now concrete. The Bridge has an overall length of 15.8m, a rise at the centre of 3.0m and is 6.1m wide between kerbs.
Physical Condition and/or Archaeological Potential	Original condition assessment: 'The bridge is in use; it appears to be in good condition and in its original state.' (Last updated: 13/11/2003.) 2007-08 condition update: 'Poor.' (Last updated: 17/4/09.)
Modifications and dates	****
Date condition updated	17 April 2009

History

Historical notes

Designed by JA MacDonald [DMR Engineer for bridges] who designed many bridges including the MacDonald timber truss bridges built from 1884-1894. His lift bridge across the Murray still exists at Tocumwal. It was proposed in 1883 that Smollet Street be extended westward through the botanical gardens to give direct access from the Albury Railway Station to Howlong Road by a straight street. The extension necessitated the construction of a bridge across Bungambrawatha Creek, an expense for which the Albury Municipal Council had not provided. The work was carried out by contract under supervision of E. C. Bowyer-Smythe, who was the local road superintendent. The bridge was reported in the Town & Country Journal of November 10, 1888 as an example of iron bridge using the variety of resources then available and as having been opened without ceremony at the time, whilst Main Roads of June 1967, some 80 years afterwards reported of it: 'The replacement of this old bridge is more likely to come about through the need to improve the road alignment than through deterioration of the structure itself.'

It is stated that the only known plan of the bridge was held by Albury City Council and dated April 16, 1887. The former journal described the bridge as having a 45 feet clear span, with five wrought iron parabolic ribs hinged at both the crows and springings, having a rise at the centre of 10 feet, the arches consisting of sets of two channel irons placed back to back. The abutments were set in Portland cement and the bridge designed to carry a live load of 84 pounds per square foot. It was designed by John A. McDonald, Assistant Engineer for Roads & Bridges, and the iron work being made by D & W Robertson in the colony. It gave the contract price as 737 pounds and stated that the bridge was erected by T. Romera at a contract price of 1227 pounds. The bridge has also served as shelter for a succession of local homeless persons over a long period of time. Little is known of these people and the occupants change as their situations either improve or decline. A framed copy of the original blueprint for the bridge are located at the Albury City Council Office.

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The successful tender was the well know Sydney firm of D and W Robertson whose works were at Blackwattle Bay where the whole bridge was pre-assembled then dismantled for shipping to Albury by the recently opened railway. The bridge has proved to be a cost-effective structure requiring only routine maintenance and no strengthening, despite the large increase in traffic loads during its years of service.

For railways, requiring a greater number of larger and stronger bridges and restricted in the use of expensive iron and steel imports, a large number of stone and brick arch viaducts were built from 1867 at Picton through to 1922 at Stanwell Park, then local supplies of steel improved and beams, girders and trusses displaced arches.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Reference Number	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
National Trust of Australia register

Register of the National Estate	015952

Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register	1000156

Local Environmental Plan	Schedule 2	97	6806

Assessment of Significance

Historical Significance	The Smollet Street Bridge has been an important item of infrastructure in the history of New South Wales and Albury. The Bridge was a major achievement for its time, and has contributed to the economic growth and development of southern New South Wales, particularly the Riverina District around Albury. The Bridge is therefore a good indicator of significant human activity at the time.
Historical Association	John A McDonald, designer of McDonald Trusses and iron lattice girder bridges, also designed this Bridge.
Aesthetic/Technical Significance	The bridge is an elegant structure with clearly defined and graceful aesthetic lines, presenting an attractive reminder of the past. As such, the bridge has high aesthetic significance.
Social Significance	The Smollet Street Bridge has significance for the local community. The construction of this Bridge has contributed to the economic growth and development of this community. The Bridge contributed significantly to the social and commercial development of New South Wales, particularly the Riverina District around Albury. Located near the botanic gardens and the local swimming pool, the Smollet Street Bridge is important to the community's sense of identity. An extensive article was published in a local paper celebrating the Bridge's interim listing by the Australian Heritage Commission as a prelude to becoming part of the 'National Estate' (Jones 1988). The local historical society affirms that the Bridge is admired and appreciated by engineers, architects, historians, walkers and the travelling public, and so they supported the recent decision to place it on the Register of the National Estate.
Research Significance	The Bridge is a rare example of a metal arch bridge. It is a technically sophisticated bridge structure for its time and was designed by famous Public Works engineer, John A McDonald. The Bridge has high technical significance because of its integrity and good condition, which contribute to its ability to demonstrate aspects of its technology, design and style in bridge construction.
Rarity	The Bridge is the oldest of only two metal arch bridges in New South Wales, Sydney Harbour Bridge being its big city cousin. Therefore it is a rare example of a metal arch bridge in New South Wales.
Representativenes	****
Integrity/Intactness	Intact
Assessed Significance	State

References

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Bradely William A	1954	Border City - A History of Albury

Written	O'Connor C	1983	Register of Australian Historic Bridges

Written	O'Grady V	1981	'The Development of the Bridge in Australian Road Construction' in Royal Australian Historical Society Journal

Study details

Title	Year	Author	Guidelines used
Roads and Maritime Services (replacing Roads and Traffic Authority) s170 Register Upgrade Project - South-West Region	2003	Freeman Randell Conservation Architects and Plannners	Yes

Study of Heritage Sig. of pre 1930 Roads and Maritime Services (replacing Roads and Traffic Authority) Controlled Metal Road Bridges in NSW	2001	Cardno MBK	Yes

Albury Heritage Study		Graham Brooks and Associates	Yes

Custom fields

Roads and Maritime Services (replacing Roads and Traffic Authority) Region	South West
Bridge Number	5580
CARMS File Number	****
Property Number	Bridge
Conservation Management Plan	****

Images

Smollet Street Bridge - General View - Elevation

Heritage and conservation register