The Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway ramp has opened, replacing a 55-step staircase after decades of campaigning for its removal.
The 200-metre-long, three-metre-wide ramp provides a continuous north-south route across the Harbour Bridge from Bradfield Park in Milsons Point. The design was led by Aspect Studios with ramp architecture by Collins and Turner, structure and industrial design by Eckersley O’Callaghan, heritage guidance from Design 5 Architects, First Nations consultation with Yerrabingin, and collaborating artists Madwings.
The new ramp features a 1:25 grade, allowing all cyclists – including children, older riders and those on e-bikes or bikes with trailers – to ride across the bridge. The ramp is the result of more than four decades of community advocacy, achieved despite early opposition from North Sydney Council and other local authorities.
Major works on the $38.9 million ramp commenced in December 2024.
Global design director at Aspect Studios Sacha Coles said that by resolving the northern access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the ramp delivers a continuous and step-free connection between the city and North Sydney that is safe and accessible for all ages and abilities.
“The design is grounded in Country, integrating contemporary infrastructure with the bridge’s heritage and the cultural layers of Milsons Point to make cycling across the harbour an inclusive, everyday experience,” said Coles.
Director at Collins and Turner Huw Turner said the serpentine ramp combines form, detailing, materials and craftsmanship to create a light and sculptural steel structure. He said the design was deliberately restrained, allowing the ramp to sit comfortably within Bradfield Park while remaining clearly contemporary.
The ramp incorporates more than 130,000 granite pavers and 1,500 bronze balustrades, with several details referencing the nationally heritage-listed Sydney Harbour Bridge that it links to. The project includes stone sourced from quarries that supplied material for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while the bronze balustrades were manufactured in Western Sydney using the same alloy as the Sydney Opera House and finished in the bridge’s signature grey.
The ramp paving design by Aspect Studios was inspired by an artwork from Aboriginal artists Maddison Gibbs and Jason Wing depicting interconnecting eels travelling both north and south.
According to a statement from the design team, the work is inspired by the marine life and cultural narratives of Gadigal and Cammeraygal Country, with the eels symbolising the enduring physical and spiritual connection between Gadigal and Cammeraygal.
“To represent the grey eel heading north, the design incorporates granite from the historic Moruya Quarry on Yuin Country, located on the New South Wales South Coast. This quarry was the original source of stone for the iconic pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as the aggregate used in the formation of its concrete structure. After decades of closure, the quarry was reopened in 2025 to supply material for projects including the cycleway,” notes the communique.
“The red eel heading south is represented by Calca granite, sourced from Nawu Country in South Australia. This granite is the same material used in the paving and cladding of the Sydney Opera House forecourt and podium.”
The NSW Minister for Transport John Graham said the ramp is a “long-overdue improvement for cyclists.” He highlighted that John Bradfield, the Australian engineer under whose direction the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932) was designed, had originally intended to incorporate space for bicycles on the bridge deck, but by 1962, growing vehicle traffic led to the idea being shelved.
“Bike traffic across the Harbour Bridge has surged in recent years and this ramp will unlock even more by delivering equality of access,” said Graham.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
