$786m New Bridgewater Bridge Project progresses towards completion

Tasmania’s largest infrastructure project – the new Bridgewater Bridge – is near completion and is a step closer to providing better travel times and less congestion in the region. 

The newest significant milestone for the project involves the pouring of the final pair of the 42 bridge piers, marking the completion of the bridge’s substructure. 

“We know how important it is to deliver infrastructure that gets people home quicker and safer. 

“This much-needed bridge replacement will also boost economic opportunities including ensuring tourists have a more enjoyable experience getting to and from the north and south of the state. 

“We continue to deliver our commitments to priority projects right around Australia,” Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said. 

Each pier will be the starting point for the construction of the new river crossing, which will be made up of about 1,082 concrete segments produced at the project’s purpose-built precast yard at Bridgewater. 

There are 21 pairs of piers that range in height from eight to 16 metres, and these piers will provide the navigation clearance under the bridge. 

Each of the piers is made up of between 190 to 310 tonnes of concrete as well as 25 to 35 tonnes of steel and built using specially designed steel forms that allow them to be poured in one piece on site. 

In July of this year, the 46 piles that make up the bridge’s foundations were completed. These piles were poured between 30 to 90 metres below the river. One of the final piles to be poured is believed to be the largest ever poured in Australia, reaching 88 metres below the surface. 

The project will deliver a new four-lane bridge that will fix the missing link between Brooker Highway and Midland Highway. 

The new 1.2-kilometre-long bridge will have two lanes in each direction and will also feature a safe shared path for cyclists and pedestrians alongside clearance for boats. 

“Anyone who has driven through the area recently would have seen the hive of activity as we move closer to having traffic on the new bridge. 

“The project site is changing daily, and Tasmanians are rightly excited to see the new bridge taking shape so quickly. 

“Completing the bridge’s substructure is a major milestone and is a significant step towards seeing the deck of the new bridge finished. 

“Not only will a new Bridgewater Bridge remove the bottlenecks people have been experiencing at each end of the bridge, but it will provide more reliable travel times so people know how long their journey will take,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said. 

The $786 million new Bridgewater Bridge project is jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments, each contributing $628.8 million and $157.2 million respectively. 

The new Bridgewater Bridge project is on track to be completed – on time and within budget – by July 2025. 

Construction of the new bridge is expected to support more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. 

“Seeing so many outstanding Tasmanian businesses come together to deliver this once-in-a-generation project is something special and something all Tasmanians should be proud of. 

“The project is providing increased capacity and capability in local skills within the state’s civil construction industry. 

“This means we can keep the skills and knowledge created on the project in the state and will benefit future major projects,” Minister for Infrastructure Kerry Vincent said. 

“Creating jobs, upskilling workers, and supporting Tasmanian industry has been a key focus of the New Bridgewater Bridge, with more than 25 per cent of the new jobs on the project filled by people from the Brighton, Derwent Valley, and Glenorchy municipalities. 

“The steady progress being realised on this nationally significant project is big news for Bridgewater and other communities north of Hobart, where people rely on reliable and safe road links over the Derwent River,” Federal Member for Lyons Brian Mitchell said. 

Source: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Premier of Tasmania – Latest News; Tasmanian Government – New Bridgewater Bridge Project (1, 2)