Glebe Island Bridge

Blackbutts Bridge
Crosses	Johnston's Bay
Followed by	swing bridge
Characteristics
Material	Tasmanian blackbutt timber
Total length	1,045 feet (319 m)
Width	28 feet (8.5 m)
Longest span	38 feet (12 m)
No. of spans	27

Glebe Island Bridge
Glebe Island Bridge in a permanently open position
Coordinates	33°52′06″S 151°11′09″E / 33.86823116°S 151.18573072°E / -33.86823116; 151.18573072Coordinates: 33°52′06″S 151°11′09″E / 33.86823116°S 151.18573072°E / -33.86823116; 151.18573072
Carries	Bank Street
Crosses	Rozelle Bay
Locale	Rozelle – Pyrmont, New South Wales, Australia
Maintained by	Roads & Maritime Services
Heritage status	Australian Heritage Database (ID 15949)
Preceded by	Anzac Bridge
Followed by	Harbour Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Swing bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	353 feet 6 inches (107.75 m)
Width	50 feet (15 m)
Height	20 feet (6.1 m)
Longest span	191 feet (58 m)
No. of spans	3
History
Designer	Percy Allan
Constructed by	H McKenzie and Sons
Construction end	1903
Opened	1 July 1903
Closed	2 December 1995
Replaces	Timber bridge (1862–1903)

The Glebe Island Bridge is a disused swing bridge over Rozelle Bay on Port Jackson, Sydney. The bridge, which connects Rozelle to Pyrmont by road, is one of the last remaining swing bridges of its type in Australia and in the world.

Work on the new Pyrmont Bridge and the bridge across Black Wattle Swamp shortened the travel distance to the inner west suburbs making it easier for produce to be conveyed to the city. A previously un-used part of Johnston's Bay was promoted as the site for a larger abattoir than the others previously used around the closer areas of high water. The new abattoir, to be opened in January 1860, was provided a punt system to cross the short distance to Pyrmont. Work commenced on the first Glebe Island bridge in 1860. This bridge opened for traffic in 1861.

The Glebe Island Bridge was an electrically operated swing bridge opened on 1 July 1903, the year after the opening of the new Pyrmont Bridge over Darling Harbour, which has a similar design. The bridge was designed by Percy Allan of the New South Wales Public Works Department who also designed the Pyrmont Bridge. During normal operation the two 29.1-metre (95 ft) swing spans rotated about a central vertical axis.

The bridge was closed on 2 December 1995, when the adjacent Anzac Bridge opened, and remains in a permanently open position with no access to pedestrians or vehicular traffic. The bridge was operated and used for access by cyclists in the annual Spring Cycle in October until 2008.

The bridge has been listed on the Australian Heritage Database since 1989. A 2009 structural assessment found the bridge in "very poor condition" and in April 2013 a new report found that it had deteriorated further. City of Sydney Council and the community groups lobbied the state government to restore the structure and reopen the bridge for pedestrian and cyclists. A cost–benefit report by ACIL Allen consultants for Transport for NSW on options for the bridge was released in September 2013. In 2015, it was suggested the bridge could be reused to extend the Sydney Light Rail as part of the White Bay redevelopment.