Story Bridge, Brisbane

A heritage steel cantilever bridge over the Brisbane River, famous for its night lighting and bridge climbs.

A cantilever bridge is built from long arms that reach out from supports and meet in the middle. The Story Bridge opened on 6 July 1940 and drivers paid a toll until 1947. Before it was finished it was called the Jubilee Bridge, in honour of King George V. It was then named after John Douglas Story, a senior public servant who strongly supported building it.

Planning and building

The bridge was part of a 1920s plan by Professor Roger Hawken for several bridges over the river, and it was built as a public works project in the Great Depression. John Bradfield, who also worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was appointed consulting engineer, and his steel cantilever design was based heavily on the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal. Work began on 24 May 1935. Parts were made in a special factory at Rocklea, and the bridge has about 1.25 million rivets. The two sides met on 28 October 1939.

Deep foundations

The hardest job was the southern foundations, which go 40 metres below ground. Water would seep in if the builders dug normally, so they used pneumatic caissons, working under air pressure up to four times normal. Workers needed almost two hours of decompression after each shift, and an on-site air lock hospital treated 65 cases of the bends. Three men died during construction.

Today

The bridge carries about 97,000 vehicles a day, with three lanes each way and a shared walking and cycling path on each side. In March 2025 the outer paths were closed after rust and concrete damage were found. The city-side path reopened in October 2025 after about 300 metres of new decking, and work on the other side continues. The council says a full restoration will be needed by 2045.

On the globe

The model shows the steel cantilever bridge crossing the river. Look at the tall steel frames over the middle.