Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway Ramp
The Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway Ramp is a city-shaping intervention that redefines access to one of Australia’s most significant pieces of public infrastructure. More than a cycling project, it is an investment in the public life of Sydney, expanding the Harbour Bridge as a daily, human-scaled civic crossing rather than solely a conduit for vehicular traffic.
By replacing stair-only access at the northern end of the Bridge with a safe, legible and accessible cycle route, the project completes a long-missing link in Sydney’s cycling network and unlocks one of the city’s most iconic journeys for riders of all ages and abilities. In doing so, it reframes the Bridge as inclusive public space, reinforcing its role as a connector of communities, cultures and Country.
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- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Cammeraygal and Gadigal
- CLIENT Transport for NSW
- LOCATION Milsons Point, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Year 2022 - 2025
The project’s approach is drawn entirely from its setting. This much-needed piece of civic infrastructure balances local impact with city-wide opportunity, improving the safety and capacity of the cycleway while enhancing connections to the wider bike network. By making bike riding convenient and attractive for more people, it supports broader behavioural change toward active, low-carbon movement, delivering long-term public benefits in health, accessibility and urban resilience. Early post-opening data has already demonstrated a catalytic impact, with a clear uplift in cycling volumes reflecting the principle that when safe, dignified infrastructure is provided, people respond positively.
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 extend along the length of the ramp, one journeying north and one south, reflecting the historical and ongoing physical and spiritual connection between Gadigal and Cammeraygal at this important crossing point in Sydney Harbour.
Beyond the ramp itself, the project strengthens the surrounding precinct through carefully integrated urban interventions. New footpaths and safer crossings on Alfred Street and Lavender Street improve safety and convenience for pedestrians and cyclists. A newly designed paved plaza links the cycle path and ramp to Bradfield Park, creating a welcoming civic space with seating, a bike repair station and a water fountain.
As a sensitive and beautifully resolved work of architecture and public domain, the project addresses the multiple challenges of its heritage and parkland setting, cyclists’ needs, Country and engineering requirements. It enhances its setting and serves as an asset to the whole community, cyclists and non-cyclists alike, while setting an international benchmark for cycling infrastructure in a sensitive heritage context and offering Sydney a clear vision for the future role of cycling in transport.
- Team ASPECT Studios, Collins and Turner, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Design 5 Architects, Madwings, Yerrabingin, Stantec, Arenco, Electrolight
- Photography Ruth Gold
