Four shades of grey: Painting blitz on Sydney Harbour Bridge ahead of 100th anniversary
A third of the surface of the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be repainted and areas of rust treated as part of a focused eight-year maintenance program to bring the iconic arch up to scratch in time for the 100th anniversary of its opening.
About 150,000 square metres of steel will be repainted by the centenary in 2032, with 12 new full time painters to be recruited in coming weeks to help the push.
The new recruits will boost the dedicated Sydney Harbour Bridge team to more than 130 painters, riggers, electricians, fitters and engineers.
The Bridge, which weighs 52,800 tonnes and is the widest and tallest steel arch bridge in the world, takes thirty years to paint and involves four coats of paint, each a slightly different shade. The final coat is the heritage-listed Sydney Harbour Bridge Grey.
The bolstered workforce will allow painting targets to be raised by 30 per cent over the next eight years. Some of the hardest sections to access, including lateral pieces of steel high in the arch, have not been painted in three decades.
Rust patches have become increasingly visible to the public, with the target for rust treatment going unmet in recent years.
Transport for NSW is assessing a longer-term maintenance plan which includes the delayed use of an arch maintenance unit.
The NSW Government has asked Transport to present a plan for its implementation.
The uplift in work will be scheduled to minimise impacts on BridgeClimb visitors.