While it’s a very nice bridge, it’s not at all jolly but just very functional as a link between Roma Street and South Brisbane.
Its name actually comes from the first mayor of Brisbane, William Jolly who was in the hot seat when a collection of shires and towns were brought together as Brisbane City in 1925.
Confusingly, it is also known as the Grey Street Bridge, after the street which runs off it on the South Brisbane side.
I have now discovered that this was its original name when it opened in March 1932. It would seem there was no time for worrying about fancy bridge names during the Great Depression.
The bridge was a project of William Jolly, to take the pressure off the Victoria Bridge further downstream.
Jolly undertook a lot of civil works improving arterial connections for the city during his tenure as mayor but he had resigned in 1931.
On the bright side, its construction between 1928 and 1932, created plenty of jobs when they were needed most.
William Jolly died in 1955, and not quite a year later, the bridge was officially named in his honour.
It’s now heritage listed and looks beautiful as it stretches across the Brisbane River, its three art deco “rainbow” arches making it stand out in a grand old style.
It has a steel frame with a concrete veneer coloured to make it appear like a light porphyry, the stone popular around Brisbane.
It was designed by Harding Frew, a prominent civil engineer of the day, and is 500 metres long.
