Lawrence Hargrave Drive is a spectacular section of Coast Road just north of Wollongong NSW. The Sea Cliff Bridge was built to address geotechnical instability between Clifton and Coalcliff that would result in road closures, sometimes for months at a time.
The Sea Cliff Bridge was created after it was deemed the road that curved alongside the cliff face was unsafe due to rockfall activity that could close the road for months at a time.
The $49 million bridge braces against the Pacific Ocean, up to 70 metres east of the original alignment in places. It consists of a five-span, 450-metre-long balanced cantilever bridge adjoining a seven-span, 203-metre-long incremental launched bridge, sharing a common pier.
The goal of this ambitious project was to provide a fully available road with a design life of 100 years. The bridges incorporate two traffic lanes of 3.5 metres to 3.8 metres and a 2.5-metre shared pathway.
Lawrence Hargrave Drive is named after the famous aviator and the first Australian to fly at the nearby Stanwell Park.
