Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge will soon be celebrating its centenary: it has been in operation for almost a century. Retired Sydney engineer Bill Phippen has compiled an extensive collection of articles and photographs documenting the engineering behind the bridge. Sydney’s entire rail transport system was re-engineered in preparation for the opening of the bridge. The vision behind this transformation owes much to John Bradfield’s PhD thesis and subsequent advocacy, gently and sometimes forcefully prodding recalcitrant New South Wales politicians into action to support his schemes. His loyal personal assistant, Kathleen Butler, now given far more recognition for her achievements, was intimately involved in arranging public relations and organizing community and political support for the project. Ms Butler was also intimately involved in many of the technical issues referred to Bradfield during the course of the project.

Some of the articles Bill has prepared illustrate this advocacy work, for example A Great Scheme for a “New Sydney”.

Many engineers overlook the critical importance of engaging political and financial support for their projects. John Bradfield was not only a visionary engineer: he became adept at shaping public opinion to help secure financial support for his visionary ideas.

Here is the top-level list of articles about the Sydney Harbour bridge, still being written and added as I write this introduction.

Sydney Harbour Bridge before sunset (Getty Images at unsplash.com).