The Jim Stynes Bridge, named after the late, great Australian Rules footballer, is a striking new pedestrian and cycle path located along the north side of the Yarra River, Melbourne. It connects the Docklands precinct to Melbourne’s Central Business District. The 120m long, lightweight structure sweeps beneath the Charles Grimes road bridge, giving the impression of hovering over the water. The design features seven tuned mass dampers to control vibrations. The result is a structural system that provides an open, sweeping path while having very little interference in the river.
The judges admired the daring form of this horizontally arching torsion bridge. The engineering designers’ responses to the unique challenges of this site have resulted in an elegant harmonised solution; weaving the new and existing elements together within very tight spatial constraints