When the old Batemans Bay bridge was dismantled in May 2021, five tonnes of the eighty-year old steel was saved by Sydney-based artist Joel Adler. He was selected from 13 artists who expressed interest in designing a sculpture for Batemans Bay foreshore.

His sculpture 'Tides' drew inspiration from the tidal charts that are so important to local fisherman and were vital to coordinating the tugboats to collect debris during the demolition of the old bridge.

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The old steel was transported to Adler's workshop where it was plasma cut based off 3D files Mr Adler produced in his workshop.

"It was like a giant Lego set of steel," Mr Adler said.

The sculpture is six metres tall and was transported from Sydney in eight sections and assembled on site.

Mr Adler is proud that the sculpture looks different from every angle. He invited the community to take a close look at the "interactive" sculpture and unpack the many layers.

He said the steel was a fantastic medium for his project but came with the added pressure of community expectation because of their love for the former bridge.

"The community loved the old bridge and wanted to keep parts of it in the public space," Mr Adler said. "I wanted to use as much of the old bridge as possible."

After rain delays, the installation of 'Tides' on the Batemans Bay foreshore at Clyde Street was completed April 29.

The sculpture is funded as part of the Batemans Bay bridge project.

The 'L' pontoon, also a part of the bridge project, is set for completion May 1.