Pyrmont Bridge over the Darling Harbour in Sydney is one of the world’s oldest electrical swing span bridges. Dating back to 1902, it’s a heritage-listed bridge and a symbol of Australia’s industrial history. ProGroup was honoured to work on the restoration of the bridge’s old gates.
Each ProGroup Management refurbishment project breathes new life into old buildings while still maintaining the integrity of each site’s history through acute planning, skill, execution and public protection. Their work on the Pyrmont Bridge was no different and sits high in their portfolio as one of their most meaningful endeavours.
This particular heritage maintenance job presented numerous challenges. ProGroup Management was required to restore the old gates on the bridge, meaning all the timbers had to be replaced using strong, durable, lightweight pine. All the existing wrought iron hinges, hardware and bracing also had to be refurbished and reused with minimal damage to the original structure. ProGroup’s team had the added responsibility of showing the utmost consideration for the boat users during the process.
The four main road traffic gates, along with their respective pedestrian gates, were done in sequence, being removed overnight on a Sunday and leaving temporary gates in their place for maximum safety. They were then transported to the factory, completed and reinstalled on the following Thursday night. With all gates then functional over the weekend and on Sunday night, the team returned to commence the next cycle.
