Stirling Bridge
A bridge over the river at Fremantle has always been a key focus of interest since the colony was settled in 1829. When completed Stirling Bridge was the latest construction to span these waters and to cope with increasing traffic loads in the area.
Stirling Bridge was part of the first stage of the Fremantle Eastern Bypass, between High Street, Fremantle and Healy Road, Hamilton Hill. The Bypass, which as yet remains uncompleted, was designed to cater for heavy traffic movements generated by the Fremantle Port and industrial areas in the South West Corridor, as well as increased passenger vehicle movements, thereby allowing the road system to cope with growth in the Metropolitan Region that was putting increasing pressure on Swan River crossings. Stirling Bridge is the next of only two road bridges west of The Narrows, the other being the timber Fremantle Traffic Bridge a short way downstream.
The bridge was planned in two stages. The first completed in 1974 and the second, to be built when required will duplicate the existing structure on the upstream side, adding another three lanes and giving a combined width of 35m.
The Stirling Bridge is a continuous seven span twin post- tensioned segmental spine beam concrete bridge. The overall length is 415m. The individual spans are from the south 23.8m, 81.4m, 75.3m, 69.2m, 63.1m, 54.9m, and 47.2m respectively.
Pier piles: 74 Nos.,2533m, 0.73m dia. by 13mm mild steel. Abutment piles: 21 Nos.,1035m, 0.47m dia. by 9mm mild steel. Reinforcing steel: 1,110 tonnes. Concrete: 7,925 c.m. Prestressing steel: 285 tonnes. Precast segments: 292.
The bridge was constructed from the south end in ten stages; 1a,1b,2a,2b etc. as the two box girders advanced across the river. The respective stages for each box girder were joined at the quarter points of the spans. This was a rather delicate operation which required locking the built stage to the one supported on false work while the last joint was poured and the stressing begun. As the strength of the concrete increased so did the tensioning of the primary cables until a contiguous structure had been achieved.
The bridge was completed three months ahead of schedule and opened to traffic by the Premier of Western Australia, Sir Charles Court, on 17th May 1974.
A mural of Bon Scott (1946-80), the late lead singer of the band AC/DC, is on the southern abutment, under the Stirlng Traffic Bridge. Bon Scott was born in Scotland and came to Australia aged 9 and attended North Fremantle Primary. In 1959 aged 12 Bon started secondary school at John Curtin High Schhol and lived in the Fremantle area thereafter. He is buried in the Fremantle Cemetery. His grave site has become a cultural landmark; the National Trust of Australia decreed his grave important enough to be included on the list of classified heritage places. It is reportedly the most visited grave in Australia. On 7 July 2006, to mark his 60th birthday, the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board completed refurbishments on the Bon Scott Grave Area. This consisted of a Bon Scott Arch and Memorial Entrance gate off Carrington Street in the north-west corner of Fremantle Cemetery.
