Story Bridge

The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge that crosses the Brisbane River and connects the northern and southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

It was opened in 1940 and named after John Douglas Story, a prominent public servant.

In 1888, residents of Kangaroo Point petitioned for a bridge connecting the Brisbane CBD and their suburb. A meeting was held in the Brisbane Town Hall to demand a bridge connecting the city's central business district via the City Botanic Gardens to George Street, Albert Street, or Edward Street.

The Story Bridge carries an average of 97,000 vehicles every day and has three lanes of traffic in either direction. It also has a shared pedestrian-cycling way on each side. The Bradfield Highway runs across the bridge, connecting Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Initially, a toll was charged to use the bridge, but it was removed in 1947. Trolley-buses operated on the bridge between 1952 and 1969.

Maintenance work, including resurfacing, was carried out in 1994 and 2014. The bridge has a significant role in contemporary Brisbane, serving as the centerpiece of the annual Riverfire fireworks display and being a popular tourist attraction through bridge climbs. These measures include the installation of free phones linked to suicide prevention hotlines and the construction of a safety barrier.

The Story Bridge was added to the list of Queensland Heritage in 1992 and received a historical engineering marker in 1988. It was also recognized as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland in 2009.