The Story Bridge made its appearence during an era in which Brisbane was striving through a period of economic hardship and world wide political unrest. This period was otherwise known as the great depression. During the 1930's, as a consequence of the depression, a world wide romance with bridges took form. A prime reason for this was the fact that a structure of such jingoistic beauty, could be created in a time of such despair. The bridge was opened on the 6th of July, 1940. The event was widely celebrated by the Brisbane community. More than 600, 000 people crossed the bridge on foot, during its first day of operation. There were 40 cars crossing the bridge every minute and the toll collectors were overwhelmed by the numbers. The official opening ceremony featured the premier at the time, Forgan Smith; the governor - Sir Leslie Wilson, and many other dignitaries of Brisbane. There was an uproar over the opening from the church groups who complained that there had been no blessing of the bridge during the ceremony and that the Archbishops of Brisbane had been seated in the sun. This resulted in the church leaders leaving the event early. However the opening had been a great event for the people of Brisbane. STAT'S * Construction started: May 24, 1935 * Opened for traffic: July 6, 1940 * Minimum headway for shipping at high water: 30.4m * Bridge and approarches stretch is 1375m in Length * Bridge roadway is 18.3m wide with two footpaths 3m wide * length of main river span: 281.6m * Earthworks and excavations 35,170 cu. m * Concrete: 38, 230 cu. m * Structural steelwork: 11,990 tonnes * Reinforcement in concrete: 1625 tonnes * Total cost: $3,227,416 Thanks for your comments, Stuart