A new ramp is set to transform cycling access across Sydney Harbour with a major infrastructure upgrade now complete.
A new cycleway ramp has opened on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, creating a continuous north-south cycling link and removing the long-standing barrier of 55 stairs at the northern end of the crossing.
The ramp removes a major accessibility constraint that has discouraged older riders and users of heavier e-bikes from travelling across the harbour, while filling a critical gap in Sydney’s cycling path infrastructure.
The three-metre-wide structure provides a continuous route across the bridge, with connections into the central business district via Kent Street, to Sydney’s east via the Oxford Street Cycleway and to the west via the ANZAC Bridge.
The ramp has been designed to integrate with its heritage-listed surroundings at Bradfield Park and Milsons Point Station, using granite sourced from Moruya – the same location as the stone used for the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons – and bronze balustrades reflecting elements of the Sydney Opera House.
Around 1,500 bronze balustrades, produced mainly in Western Sydney, have been manufactured using the same alloy as the Sydney Opera House bronze, while the ramp is finished in heritage-listed Sydney Harbour Bridge Grey.
The ramp also connects to a new cycle route extending along Alfred Street South to Middlemiss Street in North Sydney, including new crossings on Alfred Street South and Lavender Street.
About 130,000 granite pavers have been installed to create an intertwining eels artwork by Aboriginal artists Jason Wing and Maddie Gibbs, honouring the connection of the Gadigal and Cammeraygal people to the area.
New South Wales Minister for Transport, John Graham, said the ramp delivered a long-overdue piece of cycling infrastructure.
“John Bradfield’s original vision for the Harbour Bridge incorporated space for bicycles on the deck of the bridge, but they were squeezed out by the growth of vehicle traffic by 1962,” Graham said.
“This ramp is a long-overdue improvement for cyclists while being an architecturally sensitive addition to Bradfield’s famous Coathanger.
“Bike traffic across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has surged in recent years and this ramp will unlock even more by delivering equality of access.
“I want to thank the team of designers, engineers and construction workers who have created a ramp that truly fits its stunning surrounds.”
