Ultimo Road Railway Underbridge

Item details


Name of item:	Ultimo Road Railway Underbridge
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Bridge/ Viaduct
Location:	Lat: -33.8811584155 Long: 151.2018212350
Primary address:	Darling Harbour goods railway, Ultimo, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Boundary:

North: northern end of brick abutments South: southern edge of brick abutments East: eastern edge of underbridge facing Ultimo Road West: western edge of underbridge facing Ultimo Road

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Ultimo Road	Ultimo	Sydney
Darling Harbour goods railway	Ultimo	Sydney			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Transport for NSW - Sydney Trains John Holland Australian Rail Track Corporation	State Government

Statement of significance:


	The Ultimo Road underbridge has state significance as the oldest remaining wrought-iron underbridge and a rare triple-girder, plate-web girder bridge on the NSW Railway system. It is a tangible remaining piece of the earliest goods line structures on the NSW railway system and a longstanding piece of the industrial fabric of the Ultimo area. The 1874 bridge represents the first phase of duplication on the NSW system to accommodate increased traffic and increasing adaptation and development to cope with growing loads of larger trains in the early twentieth century as represented by the addition of cast iron columns in 1900.
	Date significance updated: 09 Nov 10
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the OEH copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Engineering staff, Existing Lines branch, Public Works Department.
Construction years:	1879-1879
Physical description:	UNDERBRIDGE (1879) The underbridge over Ultimo Road consists of cast-iron columns supporting wrought iron riveted plate web girders and wrought iron cross beams. Structurally it is a half-through, triple-girder bridge, the centre girder is located between the two tracks. Brick abutments are located on the north and south side of Ultimo Road and add extra support to the underbridge. Originally a single span of 21.64 m (71 feet), cast iron columns were added on the kerb lines to give three spans, 3.96 m (13 feet) over each footpath and a centre span of 13.72 m (45 feet).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Moderate condition with rust appearing on column heads and on underside cross beams and girders. The running surface and tracks have been covered with a steel cover plate which is rusted through in places. There is some graffiti on the plate web girder. 8/1/`12: Moderate condition with rust appearing on column heads and on underside cross beams and girders. The running surface and tracks have been covered with a steel cover plate which is rusted through in places. There is some graffiti on the plate web girder (LEP). 31/3/2010: Structural asssessment undertaken to advise whether the bridge can be used for pedestrian and cycle use. Our conclusion is that this is possible providing the existing deteriorated deck is replaced by one of lightweight construction and that the public are not allowed on the eastern side of the bridge whilst the western side is being trafficked by locomotives. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) have advised that safety screens which help prevent objects being dropped onto traffic below, will be required for the bridge and various arrangements of these are suggested. The high voltage cables will need to be protected, at present their protection is insufficient for areas subject to public access. Godden Mackay Logan have provided heritage advice which has guided our recommendations (Taylor Thomson Whitting (NSW) P/L, 2010, 3).
Modifications and dates:	c1900: The span was reduced so as to be able to carry heavier rail traffic by inserting cast-iron columns on the kerb lines of Ultimo Road. c1996: The line was closed to regular traffic 2005: steel cover plates put over remaining track and running surface when it was closed to all traffic.


Current use:	Disused Rail Bridge
Former use:	Aboriginal land, farm, carried double track railway to Darling Harbour Goods Yard.

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

The original rail access to the Darling Harbour area was completed as a single line in September 1855 via a tunnel-like construction called the 'Darling Harbour Dive' ('diving' under George Street). The line crossed over Ultimo Road on a timber beam bridge. This construction was completed before John Whitton arrived in 1856 to become the long-serving Engineer-in-Chief for railways in NSW. Since the line was an existing, operating line, it became the responsibility of the Existing Lines branch, Public Works Department.

By the 1870s goods traffic had increased so much that duplication of the line was planned. This work was completed in 1874 and replacing the timber bridge with a wrought-iron girder bridge followed in 1879 under the direction of George Cowdery, Chief Engineer, Existing Lines branch.

The arrangement of main girders is unusual. Whereas a double-track bridge conventionally has two outer main girders with cross-girders to carry both tracks, Cowdery's designer chose to use an additional main girder between the tracks such that the bridge looks like two single-track bridges sharing a common centre main girder. It is a triple-girder, plate-web girder bridge.

However, the design was inadequate to accommodate the ever-increasing weights of locomotives and rolling stock, so rather than install a new, stronger bridge, the span was reduced c1900 by inserting cast-iron columns on the kerb lines of Ultimo Road.

The line continued to be the main access to Darling Harbour but frequent traffic congestion at the Cleveland Street tunnel led to the building of the Metropolitan Goods Lines network, which reached the northern end of Darling Harbour in 1922 (hence much less traffic used the Darling Harbour Dive).

Sixty years later the Darling Harbour Goods Yard was closed and the area underwent a major redevelopment. The northern railway was made available to the light railway and the southern connection was reverted to a single line to give access to the Power House Museum. The 1879 wrought-iron girder bridge has continued in service throughout these changes. The bridge is no longer in use, having been closed to service in c2005.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Transporting crops-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Transporting agricultural supplies and machinery-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Global economies-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Rail to ship interchange-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Rail transport-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Wharf and shipping history-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Building the railway network-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th century suburban developments-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Railway work culture-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working complex machinery and technologies-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Wharfside and Port Work Culture-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Ultimo Road railway underbridge is historically significant at a state level for its association with the history of the Darling Harbour area for 120 years. It formed an integral part of the oldest line in NSW (opened the same day as the first passenger line) and is a rare example of a triple-girder wrought-iron bridge on the NSW system.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	The Ultimo Road underbridge is associated with the first major upgrade of rail infrastructure in the 1870s and the transition from timber bridges to iron bridges.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The Ultimo Road underbridge has aesthetic significance as a distinctive landmark feature across Ultimo Road. Its wrought-iron columns are fine examples of nineteenth-century decorative ironwork for an industrial structure.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The bridge is technically unusual and interesting as a wrought-iron, triple-girder, plate-web underbridge. It is the oldest plate-web girder in the New South Wales railway system.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The bridge appears to be the only surviving wrought-iron triple-girder structure on the NSW system.
Integrity/Intactness:	Much of the original 1879 fabric exists including the c1900 cast-iron columns which changed the structure from a single-span to a triple-span bridge.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:


	The bridge should be retained and conserved. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement, or a Conservation Management Plan, should be prepared for the bridge prior to any major works being undertaken (LEP).

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, Donald Harwin, the Special Minister of State pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective 1 December 2020: 1. revoke the order made on 11 July 2008 and published on pages 91177 to 9182 of Government Gazette Number 110 of 5 September 2008 and varied by notice published in the Government Gazette on 5 March 2015; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. Donald Harwin Special Minister of State Signed this 9th Day of November 2020. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Nov 13 2020

Standard exemptions for works requiring Heritage Council approval

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01062	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register	Ultimo (Ultimo Road) Underbridge	SRA501/SRA78	08 Jan 99
Local Environmental Plan	Ultimo Street Railway Underbridge

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
State Rail Authority Heritage Register Study	1999	SRA501/SRA78	State Rail Authority		No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Deuce Design P/L	2013	Ultimo Pedestrian Network Design Package - Project: 3376_ASP_UPN: Issue 05/03/2013
Written	Godden Mackay Logan	2012	Ultimo Pedestrian Network Stage 2 - Interpretation Strategy
Written	Godden Mackay Logan	2012	Ultimo Pedestrian Network Stage 2 - Heritage Impact Statement
Written	Taylor Thomson Whitting (NSW) P/L Consulting Engineers	2010	Ultimo Underbridge Structural Report

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5012250
File number:	10/3099

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