Marsden Street Bridge (now known as Bernie Banton Bridge) ( Source: Parramatta Heritage Centre LS Collection)
Bernard Douglas Banton AM was born in Parramatta in 1946. Bernie was an influential and prominent Australian social justice campaigner. He was the widely recognised face of the legal and political campaign to achieve compensation for the thousands of sufferers of asbestos-related conditions. He passed away from asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease (ARPD) in November 2007. He was 61 at the time of his death.
In 2006, Bernie Banton was awarded the Key to the City of Parramatta and Marsden Street Bridge was renamed in his honour.
Resolution passed to honour Bernie Banton, 2006. (Source: Minutes of the Meeting of Parramatta City Council; 2006)
The Bernie Banton Bridge is a multi-span concrete bridge that crosses the Parramatta River forming a north-south connection between the Parramatta CBD and North Parramatta. Marsden Street Weir was originally constructed in 1818 under instructions from Governor of NSW, Lachlan Macquarie for the purpose of creating a water supply dam for the growing settlement at Parramatta. The weir was used as a vehicular river crossing until being replaced by the bridge in 1971. This bridge carries two lane of vehicular traffic as well as accommodating a pedestrian walkway on either side of the bridge.
Newspaper report that the new “much vaunted and much needed” Marsden Street bridge will be ready before the end of the year at a cost of $500,000. “Gone will be the days when a slight storm, or even a shower flooded the old spillway”. The old crossing was only three feet above the river level. The plans were drawn up by the Parramatta Council’s engineering department in conjunction with Main Roads Board architects, Messrs Haskins and Davey. At this time Parramatta’s Chief Engineer was Mr F C Smale and he stated that “the route…will ease the strain on Church Street” and that there will now be “two fast-moving out-of-Parramatta roadways”.
In January 2020, Bernie Banton Bridge’s Marsden Street footpath was widened to improve safety of school kids and pedestrians.
Neera Sahni, Research Services Leader, Parramatta Heritage Centre, City of Parramatta, 2021
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Banton_Bridge/ retrieved on 9/4/2021
Parramatta Advocate 10 February 1970 p 1 Crossing to end road snarls: Marsden St Bridge ready soon. [VF0086] retrieved on 8/4/2021
https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/research-topics/parramatta-people/bernie-banton-am retrieved on 9/4/2021
https://heritagecentre.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/objects/8107/marsden-street-bridge-parramatta-1972 retrieved on 9/4/2021
Marsden Street Bridge, Parramatta – Councillor Sameer Pandey retrieved on 8/4/2021
Minutes of the Meeting of Parramatta City Council: 2006, Resolution 8582, retrieved on 7/4/2021