Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway
A new cycleway ramp at the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway will make cycling across the Bridge safe, enjoyable and accessible for riders of all ages and abilities, while respecting the heritage and stature of the Harbour Bridge.
The project’s approach is drawn entirely from its setting. This much needed piece of civic infrastructure balances local impact with city-wide opportunity. The project will improve the safety and capacity of the cycleway, enhance connections to the wider bike network, and make bike riding convenient and attractive for more people. The design delivers on the project’s primary design challenge—to achieve functionality and preserve what is unique and powerful about the project setting and valued by the community; that being Country, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Bradfield Park.
The project’s approach is drawn entirely from its setting. This much needed piece of civic infrastructure balances local impact with city-wide opportunity. The project will improve the safety and capacity of the cycleway, enhance connections to the wider bike network, and make bike riding convenient and attractive for more people. The design delivers on the project’s primary design challenge—to achieve functionality and preserve what is unique and powerful about the project setting and valued by the community; that being Country, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Bradfield Park.
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND The Gadigal people of the Eora Nation
- CLIENT Transport for NSW
- LOCATION Northern Sydney, Australia
- YEAR 2022 – ongoing
The project will be a sensitive and beautifully resolved work of architecture and public domain. The project will successfully address the multiple challenges of its heritage and parkland setting, cyclists’ needs, Country, and engineering requirements. It will enhance its setting and be an asset to the whole community, both cyclists and noncyclists.
The serpentine form of the cycleway ramp—an assembly of complimentary curves—is minimal in its solution and organic in its geometry. Lightness, fluidity, and transparency have been given equal weighting to robustness, constructability, sustainability, and long-term maintenance. This ensures a reduced visual impact on the Harbour Bridge and Bradfield Park as well as minimised over-shadowing of the groundplane below.
The ramp’s paving design draws on the imagery and themes of local marine life in Gadigal and Cammeraygal land and waters. Two intertwining eels are shown along the length of the cycleway ramp, one journeying north and one south. They reflect the historical and present day physical and spiritual connection between Gadigal and Cammeraygal at this important crossing location in Sydney Harbour.
The serpentine form of the cycleway ramp—an assembly of complimentary curves—is minimal in its solution and organic in its geometry. Lightness, fluidity, and transparency have been given equal weighting to robustness, constructability, sustainability, and long-term maintenance. This ensures a reduced visual impact on the Harbour Bridge and Bradfield Park as well as minimised over-shadowing of the groundplane below.
The ramp’s paving design draws on the imagery and themes of local marine life in Gadigal and Cammeraygal land and waters. Two intertwining eels are shown along the length of the cycleway ramp, one journeying north and one south. They reflect the historical and present day physical and spiritual connection between Gadigal and Cammeraygal at this important crossing location in Sydney Harbour.
Pedestrians and cyclists will also enjoy improved safety and convenience with the addition of new footpaths and crossings on Alfred Street and Lavender Street. A newly designed paved plaza will link the cycle path and ramp to Bradfield Park, creating a welcoming community space. This plaza will feature seating, a bike repair station, and a water fountain, providing a comfortable and practical stop for visitors and commuters traveling to Milsons Point station and beyond.
The project will set an international benchmark for cycling in a sensitive heritage setting and provide Sydney with a vision for the role of cycling in the future of transport.
The project will set an international benchmark for cycling in a sensitive heritage setting and provide Sydney with a vision for the role of cycling in the future of transport.
- TEAM ASPECT Studios, Collins and Turner, Design 5, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Yerrabingin, Stantec, Electrolight, Jason Wing and Maddison Gibbs
