Adelaide's newest footbridge over the Torrens Lake flew into place on December 17, 2009 with the help of three heavy construction cranes. The three spans, adding up to the 38 metres needed to bridge the meandering lake, weigh 20 tonnes in total.
An elegant curving design has demanded major buttressing, bringing the project to a cost of about one million dollars. The bridge will be open in mid-January.
The wide and curving link between Botanic Park and the recreation grounds of Lower North Adelaide will complement a new Adelaide Parklands Trail -- a joint project between the State government and the Adelaide city council. It also adds an opportunity to swap between the much trodden and cycled paths along the Torrens Linear Park.
Bridging the river between the Adelaide Zoo and the Hackney Bridge, it will also link extended car parking spaces with the zoo's new international attraction, Giant pandas "Wang Wang" and "Funi".
The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Michael Harbison, is looking for a name for the bridge. He has cheekily suggested the "Wang Wang Way" or the "Funi Folly".
A more serious suggestion -- what about the Alexander Downer Footbridge? When he was Australian Foreign Minister more than two years ago, he paved the way in Beijing for the ten year Panda breeding project at Adelaide Zoo.
What is your name for it? Let us know!
Keith Conlon