King's Bridge (Launceston)

King's Bridge
Coordinates	41°26′25″S 147°07′38″E / 41.4402°S 147.1271°E / -41.4402; 147.1271
Crosses	South Esk River
Locale	Launceston, Tasmania
Characteristics
Design	arch
Material	Wrought iron
Total length	220 feet (67.1 m)
Longest span	190 feet (57.9 m)[1]
No. of spans	1
Piers in water	0
No. of lanes	2
History
Architect	William Thomas Doyne
Fabrication by	Charles de Bergue, Manchester with additional span by Salisburys, Launceston
Opened	1864
Inaugurated	4 February 1864
Rebuilt	1904
Location

King's Bridge is a wrought-iron bridge crossing the South Esk River at the mouth of the Cataract Gorge in Launceston, Tasmania.

Construction of the bridge began in 1864. The bridge span was constructed in Manchester, England and was transported to Launceston for final assembly. At the time it was named the Cataract or South Esk Bridge and it was the only form of vehicular crossing of that river in Launceston.

In 1904, a second, parallel span was added to widen the bridge. This span was almost identical to the original span, but was fabricated locally in Launceston, instead of overseas.^[2]

The received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.^[3]

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