Construction of the Sydney Harbor Bridge cycle path is set to begin next year
The plans call for the construction of a 3 meter wide ramp extending 200 meters from Bradfield Park North near Burton Street and connecting to the Harbor Bridge cycle path to the south of the existing staircase.
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The ramp will be connected to an upgraded bike path connecting Middlemiss Street and the existing bike network. A new crosswalk will be installed on Alfred Street South, adjacent to Bradfield Park North, to allow pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the street.
Haylen said Transport for NSW had received more than 1000 public environmental assessment submissions and worked with North Sydney Council, NSW Heritage Council, Heritage NSW, NSW Government Architect, schools and businesses to finalize the design for the cycle path.
“This includes ramp refinements to minimize the visual impact of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Milsons Point Railway Station, ramp length reductions, and lighting and design changes to improve safety.”
Aboriginal artists Maddie Gibbs and Jason Wing have developed the concept artwork which will feature linked eels representing those heading up the harbor and running the full length of the ramp.
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Haylen said the design is a “prominent symbol of reconciliation from the ground and from the air.”
Transport for NSW said the design for the artwork would be finalized soon. It said the agency will continue to consult with Aboriginal experts on the naming of the ramp and will work with the community before and during construction of the cycle path.
Transport for NSW announced ASPECT Studios’ winning design for the linear ramp last year after rejecting an alternative spiral loop structure. Local opponents proposed a third draft, which they said would be safer and “would not deface the landscape or take away valuable existing parkland”.
Peter McLean, managing director of Bicycle NSW, believed the cycle path would attract tourists and said it would make a “huge difference” for cyclists with limited physical disabilities, beginners, children and the elderly.
“We expect this will allow hundreds more people to use the route every day,” McLean said.
North Sydney City Council voted at a heated session in March to allow state government access to Bradfield Park to build a cycle lane there. In exchange, they received $2.5 million to fund upgrades to the site.
Mayor Zoe Baker said the council would continue to raise concerns about the impact on heritage, tree loss at Bradfield Park and how the cycle path would be integrated into the area’s cycle path network.
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