New Bridgewater Bridge reaches home stretch

The New Bridgewater Bridge Project has reached its biggest milestone to date, with the final segment lifted into place to create a continuous connection across the River Derwent.

Almost 18 months after the first segment was installed, number 1,082 has been lifted into place with the teams now busily preparing to welcome traffic onto the new bridge in coming months.

The Australian and Tasmanian Governments have invested $786 million into the project, with the four-lane bridge to fix the missing link between the Brooker Highway at Granton and Midland Highway at Bridgewater.

Over the past 18 months, the project’s purpose-built precast facility has produced the 1,082 segments, each weighing between 50-90 tonnes and measuring 15 metres wide.

The segments have been cast using five moulds and stored on site before being transported two kilometres down the road to the construction site, where they are lifted into place using specially designed machinery.

At peak production, close to 28 segments were lifted into place every week by a team of more than 100 people.

Over the coming months, crews will be busy preparing the bridge to be opened to traffic, including installing barriers and railings, asphalting work, finishing the shared pedestrian and cycle paths and the installation and testing of the project’s Intelligent Transport System, which includes electronic signs and variable speed limit signs.

The 1.2-kilometre bridge will include two lanes of traffic in each direction, a safe shared path for cyclists and pedestrians and clearance for boats.

The project remains on track to be delivered on time and within budget, with the new bridge due to be open to traffic well ahead of completion of the project in July 2025.

Drone footage of the final segment being lifted into place can be found here.

For more information about the project and to see the latest flythrough footage, visit the project website.

Quotes attributable to Kerry Vincent, Minister for Infrastructure:

“This has been the biggest transport infrastructure project ever delivered in Tasmania, and today its reached its biggest milestone.

“Lifting the final segment into place means there is now a continuous connection across the River Derwent from Bridgewater to Granton.

“The New Bridgewater Bridge is well on its way to being completed, but there is plenty of work still to do before it opens to traffic in coming months.

“This project is an example of Tasmanians working together to achieve something everyone can be proud of.

“The skills and expertise our people have developed on this project will set the State up well to deliver a pipeline of important infrastructure projects over the coming decade.

“Our crews are charging towards the finish line as we look towards opening the new bridge to traffic in coming months, which will change the way people travel on our National Highway.

“It’s infrastructure projects like this that really make a difference to the lives of Tasmanians.

“This project will get people out of traffic and allow them to spend more time doing the things they enjoy.”