After years of advocacy by the Greens, we’ve secured a commitment for the reopening of The Glebe Island Bridge, a vital piece of infrastructure in the heart of the city, which will provide much needed transport connections for local and commuting residents.

Built in 1903, it was one of the world’s first electric swing bridges and served as an important link between Pyrmont and Balmain for almost 100 years. Unfortunately, this piece of history has since fallen out of use and has been left to deteriorate. 

Check out the video we made on The Glebe Island Bridge.

We could not let this infrastructure go to waste. That’s why, through our sustained advocacy, championed by Balmain Greens MPs alongside strong community groups, we secured a commitment to reopen Glebe Island Bridge. 

But here’s the problem: the NSW Labor Government wants to wait until the 2030s to begin these much-needed restorations. 

We shouldn't wait to get started on this. There is already a need for more pedestrian and cycling links in the inner-city. That’s why we secured support at our most recent City of Sydney Council meeting to bring forward the reopening as soon as possible. 

Why the urgency? 

The Labor Government recently announced plans for 8,500 new homes to be built on Glebe Island. But if we wait until sometime next decade to reopen the bridge, many of those homes will be built without the necessary transport connections—meaning more cars on our already congested streets. 

By acting now and starting work to reopen the bridge as a cycling and pedestrian link as soon as possible, we can avoid significant problems down the line.