After decades of awkward workarounds, Sydney cyclists can now cross the Harbour Bridge without having to tackle the 55 steep stairs on the northern side. Featuring stunning Aboriginal artwork, a new 170-metre ramp has officially opened, removing one of the biggest barriers on Sydney’s main cross-harbour cycle path. By creating a continuous, rideable link between the CBD and the Lower North Shore, the addition marks a major shift for everyday cycling in the city, improving access while also integrating into one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks.
Harbour Bridge Cycleway
The ramp has been designed to blend in with the Harbour Bridge, using materials that reflect its original construction. Granite from Moruya, the same quarry used for the bridge pylons, has been used along the path, while the bronze balustrades are made in Western Sydney using the same alloy as the Sydney Opera House and painted to match the bridge’s famous grey. Integrated into the surface is a large-scale artwork by Aboriginal artists Jason Wing and Maddie Gibbs. Spanning the length of the ramp, the design depicts intertwining eels formed from around 130,000 stone pavers, referencing the Gadigal and Cammeraygal peoples and their long connection to the harbour.
The project has been in development for years, following sustained advocacy from cycling groups and heritage consultations around changes to the bridge. The ramp is a rare permanent addition to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is heritage-listed and tightly controlled. NSW Transport Minister John Graham called the ramp “a long-overdue improvement for cyclists while being an architecturally sensitive addition to Bradfield’s famous Coathanger”, adding that it reflects a return to the bridge’s early intentions, when cycling was included in original plans before being edged out as car traffic increased.
The $39 million ramp is three metres wide, allowing cyclists to travel in both directions, and connects directly into existing bike paths leading into the CBD via Kent Street, east along the Oxford Street cycleway and west toward the ANZAC Bridge. Read more about it here.