The Victoria Bridge is a motorway and pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River. The current bridge, opened in 1969, is the third permanent river crossing built at this location. The bridge is divided into lanes for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Victoria Bridge connects South Shore Park and the Queensland Cultural Centre to Brisbane's business centre at North Quay. The Brisbane Civic Centre Masterplan includes a a new crossing immediately adjacent to the Victoria Bridge and so far named the "Adelaide Street Bridge", which will take some pedestrians, cyclists, buses and possibly a monorail to free up the Victoria Bridge (VB) exclusively for cars, as it has been in the past.
Construction of the first Brisbane River Bridge began on 22 August 1864. That bridge, known as the Brisbane Bridge, was wooden and quickly began to deteriorate due to an infestation of the marine woodworm larvae, finally collapsing in April 1867. The City Council failed to repair the bridge, and its debris fell into the river for two years.
A new crossing, opened in July 1874 by the Governor of Queensland, was an iron crossing, and the and a toll was charged for travelling across it. The bridge was built with money borrowed by the City Council on loan, which was to be recouped from the tolls. However, the lack of of profit led to the bridge being taken over by the Colonial Government, who installed drawbridges so that ships with high masts could travel up the river. Tram lines were then laid on the bridge. During the flood of 1893 the bridge was partially washed away by the raging torrents of the Brisbane River. In 1897 another bridge was built and remained in service until 1969, when it was destroyed. In the meantime, ferries were used to transport people and goods. That bridge was built of steel and had two carriageways and two footpaths. In 1943, sagging of the bridge due to increased traffic became evident. Tram tram routes had to be restricted and the footpaths removed altogether.
The new bridge, opened on 14 April 1969, was necessary due to increasing automobile traffic. It cost A$3.2 million to build.
