The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest single arch bridge in the world. The bridge is nicknamed the Coathanger. It spans five hundred and fifty metres of water and is held together by six million rivets. Actor Paul Hogan was a rigger on the bridge. New York City has an almost identical "Harbour Bridge" but it is only used for rail traffic.
A bridge across Sydney Harbour was first suggested by convict architect Francis Greenway in 1815. The designer and chief engineer of the bridge was Doctor John Bradfield. It took nine years to construct and was officially opened by Premier J.T. Lang in 1932. More than five hundred thousand people walked across the bridge on its 50th birthday in 1982.
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