The Tank Street Axis

In addition, the pedestrian and bicycle bridge currently under construction – the Tank Street Bridge – will radically change the urban usage pattern within the precinct.

The bridge will offer expansive views of the river, and will feature two large viewing and relaxation platforms, two rest areas, and a continuous all-weather canopy for the entire length of the bridge. Its design  – incorporating as it does an artistic array of cables and flying struts — is reminiscent of the ropes and spars of sailing ships and boats.

The public square will therefore not solely function as an open square between the new Complex and the Magistrates Courts building, it will become the logical termination of the Tank Street pedestrian axis across from Southbank and, as such, will become the marshalling point for what will become the major pedestrian gateway to the CBD.

Currently over 50,000 people cross the Goodwill Bridge each week and it is expected that at least this number will traverse the Tank Street Bridge and, in the process, walk past the highest courts in the State.

The Tank Street Bridge will also link the city centre and South Brisbane and complete a pedestrian and bicycle loop linking the city and South Bank via the Goodwill Bridge. The Tank Street Bridge will stretch from the North Quay end of Tank Street to Kurilpa Point in South Brisbane, adjacent to the Gallery of Modern Art.

The axis will then be continued by the proposed Roma Street pedestrian bridge and through proposed landscape works in Albert Park up to the Wickham Terrace Observatory.

The Gallery of Modern Art, which was designed by Architectus, also acknowledges the city grid and axis of Tank Street to the historic windmill, whilst maintaining the river connection for the west end district.

The Gallery is therefore not only the largest cultural project to be undertaken in Queensland’s recent history, it stands on the other side of the river as a perfect complement to the new Courts Complex.