One of Sydney’s most significant pieces of privately-funded public infrastructure has reached a major milestone – with Bennelong Bridge in Homebush Bay celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Bennelong Bridge was the first bridge in New South Wales to be funded and delivered by private developers under a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) with TfNSW enabling increased housing in Wentworth Point.
Spanning 330 metres across Homebush Bay, the Bridge connects Gauthorpe Street in Rhodes to Footbridge Boulevarde in Wentworth Point and dramatically reduces the travel distance from 8 kilometres to several hundred metres.
A designated T-way, with private vehicles excluded, Bennelong Bridge is 13.5 metres wide with two bus lanes accommodating public transport and emergency vehicles alongside a separate shared pedestrian and cycle path. The bridge is also designed with the capacity to carry light rail services.
The Baylink Shuttle also uses the bridge, providing a free weekday connection between Rhodes Station, Wentworth Point Ferry Wharf, schools, community centres and shopping centres. The fleet of fully electric buses is funded by Billbergia and has carried over 7 million passengers since commencing in 2018.
This vital piece of community infrastructure connects thousands of residents with public transport, pioneering Transit Oriented Development (TOD) years ahead of NSW State planning policy.
LR-Joseph Kinsella, Director of Billbergia and Rick Graf Development Director
The $63 million+ bridge was masterminded by the visionary John Kinsella AM, Founder and Managing Director of developer Billbergia, who identified the need for enhanced connectivity and new civic infrastructure in step with increasing housing supply .
“Bennelong Bridge demonstrates Billbergia’s leadership in city-shaping and sets a new benchmark for how urban renewal can create sustainable new communities. By integrating civic infrastructure, transport connectivity and residential density, we’re redefining how sustainable neighbourhoods are created, ensuring infrastructure is delivered in step with density,” said Joseph Kinsella, Director of Billbergia.
Bennelong Bridge was funded by Billbergia Group leading an alliance of Wentworth Point landowners including Sekisui House, Homebush Bay Properties and Homebush Bay Holdings.
The VPA resulted in Bennelong Bridge being delivered and handed over to TfNSW, while NSW Planning rezoned 25 hectares of land at Wentworth Point under a merit-based new State DCP assessment that permitted 1,300 additional dwellings – a 20% increase on the peninsula.
More than 30,000 residents in the fast-growing suburbs of Rhodes and Wentworth Point now use the Bridge, which was delivered by Billbergia leading specialist D&C contractors VSL Australia between 2014-2016.
With a futureproof design, the Bridge also created a new Ausgrid feeder route for 132-kilovolt high-voltage electrical cables and telecommunication services, as well as recycled water services and the capacity to carry an extension of Parramatta Light Rail.
Initially known as the Homebush Bay Bridge, it was named Bennelong Bridge in recognition of famous Indigenous Australian Woollarawarre Bennelong, who came from the local area.
“Bennelong Bridge is the result of six years of dedicated planning and construction, and stands as a powerful testament to what can be achieved when government and the private sector work together. It shows the amplified public benefits that come from this kind of collaboration, delivering essential transport infrastructure that drives urban renewal and creates more connected, liveable communities,” said Rick Graf, Development Director of Billbergia.
The successful delivery of Bennelong Bridge required collaboration with multiple government stakeholders including City of Canada Bay Council and Auburn City Council as well as TfNSW.
Transforming two former industrial precincts on the banks of Parramatta River, Bennelong Bridge delivered the public infrastructure needed to shape a sustainable residential community. It opened up the Wentworth Point peninsula with improved transport connections for residents and supports the provision of additional housing supply, close to jobs and transport.
“The Bridge is part of Billbergia’s ongoing commitment to delivering the social infrastructure and services required to create sustainable residential communities. It is a vital component of the liveable communities we are shaping in Rhodes and Wentworth Point. More than 30,000 people now live within a one-kilometre walkable radius of the Bridge – and it connects them to public transport, shopping, entertainment, childcare, schools, community centres and libraries,” Mr Graf said.
The innovative Bridge enables sustainable living by reducing the reliance on private car use and encouraging walking, cycling and public transport use. Statistics reveal that over 40% of Wentworth Point residents commute via public transport since Bennelong Bridge opened in 2016, compared to just 15% beforehand.
Bennelong Bridge is a critical component in the foreshore link around Homebush Bay, providing pathways on the southern shoreline of Parramatta River for cyclists and pedestrians. It provides a direct connection from City of Canada Bay’s network of cycleways to more than 35 kilometres of cycleways at Sydney Olympic Park, as well as the 20-kilometre cycling and pedestrian corridor linking Parramatta Park to Sydney Olympic Park.
According to D&C contractor VSL Australia, Bennelong Bridge was a complex design and build that spanned 24 months – with the timeline accelerated to 12 months for construction of the main bridge itself by several methodology innovations.
The 330-metre bridge comprises 99 individual match-cast segments up to 72-tonnes in weight, cast on-site within a modified Billbergia warehouse at Bennelong Cove which was later demolished to enable further new housing.
“We’re extremely proud of Bennelong Bridge. Building over Homebush Bay and within an active residential precinct presented complex engineering and logistical challenges, but our innovative on-site segment match-casting approach was key to our success. This construction method allowed us to cast and install bridge segments in parallel, reduced the risks of in-situ works over water, and accelerated the program to enable early delivery of this vital piece of infrastructure to the community,” said Dave O’Donnell, current National Operations Manager of VSL and Project Manager during the build.
In addition to engineering and construction challenges, Bennelong Bridge also faced hurdles with legacy contamination in Homebush Bay.
John Coffey, former Manager Major Projects – Contaminated Sites at the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), was responsible for ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements and that construction of the Bridge dealt responsibly with residual contamination in the Bay sediments.