Kangaroo Point Bridge

This new active transport bridge over the Brisbane River is greatly improving walking, wheeling, and riding connections between the Brisbane Central Business District, Kangaroo Point, and the Eastern Suburbs.

Location

Brisbane, Australia

Client

Brisbane City Council

Project Value

$299 million

Project Status

Completed December 2024

AWARD

Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Awards - 2025 Queensland Architecture Medallion, Karl Langley Award for Urban Design, Sustainable Architecture, 2025 Austroads Bridge Awards, Excellence in Innovation

AWARD

2025 Queensland Project of the Year, Engineers Australia

The project is part of the Brisbane City Council’s Bridges for Brisbane Program that is making Brisbane a walkable and rideable city. This marks the culmination of a vision for crossing the river in this area that was first imagined in 1860. The bridge plays a key role in progressing the city’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2031 and in 2032, it will enable visitors to more easily explore Brisbane during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Connecting Brisbane

The Kangaroo Point Bridge connects Brisbane’s CBD with Kangaroo Point and the Eastern suburbs, making it a key corridor for Brisbane’s active transport network. This takes pressure off the existing road, ferry and bus networks and encourage more environmentally friendly travel options. The 460-metre-long bridge includes a cable stayed main span of 183 metres across the Brisbane River – making it the longest spanning pedestrian bridge in Australia.

An iconic landmark contributing to the Brisbane Skyline, Kangaroo Point Bridge is more than just a bridge. It will create an entirely new precinct with waterside dining options, sub-tropical landscaping and potentially, event spaces and food and beverage outlets, enhancing exploration of the city on foot, scooter, or bicycle.

Bridge Overall Length

460 m

Main Span

183 m

Height of Central Tower

95 m

As Lead Consultant for the bridge design, WSP worked with Connect Brisbane - a consortium of design, engineering and construction specialists led by BESIX Watpac, along with Rizzani de Eccher, Dissing + Weitling, Blight Rayner and ASPECT Studios. Our multi-disciplinary approach included structural, geotechnical, mechanical, electrical, architectural, sustainability, landscaping, civil and temporary works.

In 2025, the project was a Finalist in Infrastructure Partnership Australia’s National Infrastructure Awards, in the Advisory and Government Partnerships Excellence categories.

Key features of the Kangaroo Point Bridge:

An iconic structural form with landmark pylon in the Brisbane River, and slender profiled cable stayed main span
Viewing platforms and rest nodes to provide panoramic views of the river and city
High quality landing points connecting and activating communities on either side of the Brisbane River
Sustainable design features including solar panels, cooling vegetation and shade cover along the length of the bridge
Two new unique dining options, including an above-water restaurant and bar, and riverside cafe, helping to create an iconic destination for Brisbane residents.

An innovative and Future Ready approach

Brisbane City Council made a commitment to best-practice sustainability which was supported by our Future Ready™ approach. As part of ambitions to minimise the impacts on the environment and the community, we achieved an 'Excellent' Infrastructure Sustainability Rating using the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) rating scheme framework.

The bridge features multiple sustainable design elements such as solar panels on the shade cover, helping to power lighting, rain gardens at C.T. White Park to slow stormwater runoff and extensive use of native plants in landscaping.

The construction of the bridge over the Brisbane River had many logistical challenges, including allowing river traffic, particularly the CityCat ferries to continue to run during construction. Erection and installation of key structural elements had significant heavy lifts and had to be planned and scheduled around maintaining operational river transport.

This was achieved by using modern methods of construction with maximised offsite fabrication. The offsite fabrication included precast concrete modular foundation sections, fabricated steel modules for the deck and tower, precast deck formwork, and prefabricated miscellaneous structures that were created offsite and installed. This allowed for safer and faster construction and supported regular communication between the structural engineering team and the contractor’s construction engineering team.

We worked closely with Blight Rayner Architecture in association with Dissing + Weitling, to bring the elegant and functional design into an engineering reality. To assist in the construction planning and design coordination of this complex structure, the multi-disciplinary design team relied on development of a detailed 3D model which was federated across the design disciplines on a weekly basis. It was then integrated into the construction team’s temporary works 3D model. The complicated geometry of the bridge design would have been much more difficult to achieve without this federated 3D model.

Brisbane’s subtropical climate known for its strong storm weather, and the lengthy span of the bridge meant that wind studies were essential. The project team detailed the specifications for the wind studies and tests which were conducted using a scale model in a wind tunnel. These tests determined that the impacts of the wind on the bridge could be reduced the by rotating the support pylons by 45 degrees, such that under typical conditions, the corners would face into the wind as opposed to a flat surface. This modification was incorporated into the final design, achieving increased resilience to Brisbane’s strong wind conditions.

The design specified a tuned mass damper in the main span when construction of primary structural elements was complete and the deck was accessible, pedestrian dynamics was tested in the field using sample groups of people walking and running, and the damper was tuned to the measure bridge frequencies.

Unique to the bridge's construction is the above-water restaurant situated at the CBD end of the bridge to enhance commercial activation. This meant that building standards were applied to the design along with bridge requirements WSP designed the bridge to incorporate the building loads and for integration of the building services, and lift structure, making use of WSP’s cross-discipline expertise to ensure successful compliance and integration.

Preparing for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and beyond

With a population boom and the upcoming Olympic Games, we are working closely with clients and the community to help shape Brisbane into a thriving world-class city that can accommodate this exciting progress.

In addition to the Kangaroo Point Bridge, WSP has also led the design on other projects in the area such as the Neville Bonner Bridge, and Queens Wharf Precinct. These projects, among others will enhance the city for visitors and locals alike. With easier access to an array of dining and entertainment options, and a variety of transport facilities to make them more accessible, these recent projects are contributing to increased connectivity and supporting Brisbane as a vibrant city that is ready to welcome visitors from across the globe.