The Yarra River was rerouted in the late 1890s and this required a new bridge, the Anderson Street Bridge (because it went from Anderson Street to Yarra Park).

The new bridge would afford direct access to South Yarra and Gate A of the Royal Botanic Gardens to the south, and Richmond and the Melbourne Cricket Ground to the north. The bridge would eventually provide for a circular route via Alexandra Avenue on the southern approach and Yarra Bank Road, later renamed Batman Avenue, once completed to the north, with a return to Princes Bridge. There was also a controversial proposal for a connecting roadway through Yarra Park directly to Swan Street, Richmond, just as an old pathway had.

Formerly, Carlo Catani was not credited with design input, but there is ample evidence of his contribution by way of a conceptual sketch where he designated the three span and decorative design. William Davidson, Inspector General of Public Works, was said to have conveyed this plan to the Sydney firm of Carter & Gummow, whose chief designer was W.J. Baltzer, who was primarily responsible for its engineering; and the company with its construction. Joshua Anderson of Monash and Anderson consulted on the project. When an engineering journal sought to credit John Monash with the bridge’s design, he was quick to demand a retraction and request that the design credit be attributed to Carlo Catani. The Public Works Department under Catani contributed to the design and supervised the construction of the bridge. As with many another bridge, Catani’s selection of Monier’s patented reinforced concrete method, licensed to Carter & Gummow, over more costly masonry construction can be seen as one of several innovations that Catani willingly embraced. This was the first use of reinforced concrete in Victoria.

The bridge was completed in 1899, though was only opened in October, 1903 while Yarra Bank Road where it ran by the Friendly Societies’ Grounds was a project characterised by fits and starts over some years. The other proposed thoroughfare through Yarra Park remained a bone of contention that the City of Melbourne and Premier Bent were unable to resolve.

Originally opened as a stately carriage and motorway bridge, today the Morell is only required to bear the leisurely burden of foot and pedal.

Before it was opened, the bridge was the subject of a load bearing test – The Herald of July 18, 1899 reported that this was done by ‘running a fifteen-ton roller over it, and by subjecting the half-spans a weight pressure of 100lbs to the square foot.’ As this bridge was the first of its kind to be built in Victoria, using the Monier reinforced concrete method, there was great interest in the test.

Photograph: Notable Government Office dignitaries and associated professionals are seen here on the occasion of the load bearing test for the Anderson Street / Botanical Bridge.

The observers were - Back row – N. Kelly, T. Short, Calder Edkins Oliver (Engineer, Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works), John Monash (of Anderson and Monash)

Front – Francis Rennick (Engineer in Chief, Victorian Railways), Carlo Catani, (Engineer-in-Chief Public Works Department), George Forrest (Manager for Carter, Gummow & Co.) William Davidson (Inspector General of Public Works), Adrian Charles Mountain (City of Melbourne Surveyor); Robert Hickson (Secretary of New South Wales Public Works Department), Frank Moorhouse Gummow (Carter, Gummow & Co.) and William Thwaites (Chief Engineer Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works).

The architectural drawings of a bridge balustrading design.