Tasmania’s largest-ever transport infrastructure project has opened to traffic.
The new Bridgewater Bridge has officially replaced the ageing lift-span structure that served the state since 1946.
The $786 million development introduces a fixed four-lane crossing over the River Derwent, aiming to improve freight reliability and eliminate one of the state’s worst traffic bottlenecks.
The 1.2-kilometre-long structure includes two general traffic lanes in each direction, new grade-separated interchanges, and a 3-metre-wide shared pedestrian and cycling path.
Designed to carry over 22,000 vehicles daily, the bridge addresses long-standing capacity and safety issues associated with the former lift-bridge, which routinely caused delays to road and marine users due to mechanical failures and restricted river navigation.
A key change is the move from a lift-span to a fixed high-clearance design.
The new crossing offers improved vertical clearance for river traffic, eliminating the need for operational pauses to raise the span. This resolves a long-standing inefficiency in the state’s multi-modal network and simplifies maintenance over the life of the structure.
Delivered under a joint funding model – $628.8 million from the Australian Government and $157.2 million from the Tasmanian Government – the project was constructed over 30 months, with site works commencing in October 2022. Construction was led by McConnell Dowell and Lendlease Joint Venture.
Major design elements include seismic-resilient pier structures and precast box-girder spans, engineered to extend lifecycle performance and minimise future disruption.
While all four traffic lanes are now operational at 80 km/h, residual works including landscaping, local road integration and removal of temporary construction access will continue into winter.
The bridge is the fifth to span the Derwent at this location, marking a shift away from interim solutions toward a long-term, heavy-duty freight corridor between Hobart and the state’s north.
The project also included local workforce development targets, with employment programs aimed at building capacity for future Tasmanian civil works pipelines.
Pending post-construction reviews, engineers will now focus on performance benchmarking of the structure under live traffic loads and its effect on regional freight and congestion metrics.
The original lift-span bridge is set for decommissioning and dismantling over the coming months.
