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Sydney Harbour Bridge

Learning objectives

  • Summarize and simplify the main steps when creating a work of art.
  • Discover an exceptional industrial heritage.
  • Promote careers in civil engineering.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built in 8 years.

  • Where: Sydney (Australia)
  • Opening ceremony: March 19, 1932
  • Central span: 503 m
  • Total length: 1149 m
  • Height: 49 m under the central span
  • Weight of the arch: 39000 tons (= 100 Boeing 747)
  • Number of rivets: 6,000,000
  • Length of work: 8 years
  • Cost: 6.25 M£ (Australian pound)
  • Human toll: 16 deaths

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a metal arch bridge (See eduMedia animation on different types of bridges).

The metal structure rests solely on 4 bearings. During construction, each half arch was held by a hundred steel cables. These cables were removed once the arch was completed in 1930. 

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