Mount Henry Bridge

Statement of Significance

• Mount Henry Bridge has historic value for its association with the spread of the Perth metropolitan area in the latter part of the 20th century and government support for extensive road systems, and later rail systems, commencing with the 1955 Stephenson-Hepburn Plan and the subsequent 1963 Metropolitan Region Scheme.
• The place has historic value as a vital component of the Kwinana Freeway, a major transport artery linking the south metropolitan region of Perth, (including the industrial precinct around Kwinana), and the major tourist and wine-growing regions of the south-west of the state.
• Mount Henry Bridge has aesthetic and scientific value for its innovative design and construction including the cantilevered pedestrian walkways and cycleways under the bridge deck on each side which separates vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and the use of a construction method which minimised the need for complex and expensive mid-span temporary piers.
• The place has social value as a prominent landmark that contributes to the community’s sense of place as an element of the City’s landscape.

Physical Description

Mount Henry Bridge is a nine-span, pre-stressed concrete bridge, with a total length of 660m and a deck width of 28.8m. The bridge was constructed segmentally, using a balanced cantilever construction method. It carries three lanes of traffic in each direction and allows for a separate bicycle and pedestrian bridge to be cantilevered, on both sides, immediately below the traffic bridge, separating them from road traffic and providing some weather protection. Two railway lines travelling in opposite directions to Canning Bridge station (north) and Bull Creek Station (south) are located between the opposing traffic lanes of the Kwinana Freeway.

History

The north-south freeway system was planned by Professor Gordon Stephenson and John Alastair Hepburn in 1955 as part of a plan to guide the long-term development of post-war Perth. In the Plan for the Metropolitan Region Perth (Perth and Fremantle), Stephenson and Hepburn talk about the increase of population and activities in the Kwinana area causing increased pressure on the Causeway and the urgent need for a ‘further bridge over the Swan River at the Narrows, and a major road in a southerly direction’. The report then goes on to indicate that the plan proposes ‘the next part of the [new - presumably Kwinana] Highway crossing the Canning River over a bridge near Mount Henry’ , suggesting that the idea for a road bridge at Mount Henry was already conceived more than 25 years ahead of it actually being built.

Uses

Historic Themes

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Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.