The bill for the building of a bridge across the Georges River was introduced into State Parliament in 1923, and the foundation stone for the bridge was laid on 7 June 1924. The bridge construction was funded by Sutherland Shire Council, with borrowed money to be repaid by a toll on the bridge once it was opened.
The crossing was first opened for traffic on 26 April 1929, and officially opened by the Governor of New South Wales on on 11 May 1929. It was then known as the "George's River Bridge".
The bridge was designed by Percy Allan, who designed many bridges in New South Wales, including the Pyrmont Bridge. When the bridge was opened, it was the longest bridge in Australia.
The toll was collected on the Sylvania side of the bridge by toll collectors who stood on the road. The tolls were removed in 1952 when the bridge was repaid. The road was one lane in each direction in the 1940s & 1950s, and was converted to become three lanes tidal flow with two lanes in the direction of the peak flow until the opening of the second bridge.
In 2006, the 1929 steel truss bridge was repainted. The original lead paint was removed using a blasting process and an air extraction system was employed to safely remove airborne particles, protecting the environment as well as the workers. #bridge #Bridges_of_The_World #Facebook #Keshan #Steel #steel_bridge
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