The Ted Smout Memorial Bridge has stretched across Bramble Bay from Brighton to Clontarf for almost 10 years. The opening was on Sunday 11th July 2010 with celebrations from Decker Park at Brighton to Pelican Park at Clontarf.
The new 2.74km bridge is 35m east of the existing Houghton Highway and features three traffic lanes, a shared pedestrian/cycle path and an attached fishing platform. Construction of the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge was one of several major works carried out for the $315 million Houghton Highway Duplication Project. Other project works included:
- An upgrade of the existing Houghton Highway bridge and its approach roads
- Construction of new pedestrian/cycle pathways at both ends of the Houghton Highway
- Demolition the old Hornibrook Bridge which had deteriorated severely. The bridge’s heritage-listed entry portals were retained and part of its northern end was rebuilt as a recreational/fishing platform which extends approximately 100m into Hays Inlet.
HORNIBROOK HIGHWAY
Opened: 4 October 1935
Length: 2.684km
Width: 7.92m
Spans: 294
Cost £220 000
Material: ironbark and tallow wood
Height at channels 6.4m Pine River, 4.57m Hays Inlet
Built and financed by M R Hornibrook, M R Hornibrook Pty Limited & M R Hornibrook Limited
HOUGHTON HIGHWAY
Opened: 20 December 1979
Length 2.74km
Width 11.1m
Spans: 99
Cost: $8.4 million
Material: reinforced concrete
Height at channels 7.4m Pine River, 5.3m Hays Inlet 61m from Hornibrook Highway into Bramble Bay
Built for the State Government by Barclay Brothers
TED SMOUT BRIDGE
Opened: 11 July 2010
Length 2.74km
Width: [TBA]
Spans: 78
Cost: $315 million
Material: reinforced concrete
Built for the State Government by Hull-Albem joint venture