FAQs

The crossing of the Derwent River between Bridgewater and Granton has a long history. Work to build the causeway started in 1830 and the first bridge connecting the causeway and Bridgewater opened in 1848. The existing Bridgewater Bridge opened in 1946. It’s nearly 80 years old and reaching the end of its life. It’s becoming unsafe, unreliable and expensive to maintain.

The Australian and Tasmanian governments invested $786 million to build the new Bridgewater Bridge as part of the Hobart City Deal and the project has been delivered within budget.

Building a new bridge will mean:

• people travelling on the bridge are safer
• there will be less congestion
• local communities will be better connected
• there will be more local open space
• travel times will be more reliable and consistent
• heavy vehicles will be more efficient and can better support the freight industry
• cyclists and pedestrians will have safer routes
• there will be better river access for boats
• bus transport will be improved
• less ongoing maintenance costs.

Major construction started in late 2022 and the new bridge opened on 1 June 2025.

Work to carefully dismantle and remove the old bridge is underway and will continue through until mid-2026.

In mid-2020, the Tasmanian Government agreed on a set of requirements to be incorporated into the design for the new Bridgewater Bridge. The final design meets all the requirements.

• A new river crossing between the Brooker Highway and Midland Highway, including connections to the Lyell Highway.
• A minimum design speed of 80km/h.
• Two lanes in each direction.
• Grade separation of the Lyell Highway Junction at Granton and Black Snake Lane at Granton.
• A minimum airdraft clearance consistent with the navigable clearance under the Bowen Bridge.
• A shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Throw screens and safety barriers.
• A design that doesn’t preclude the future use of the existing rail corridor.

McConnell Dowell was the lead contractor and worked closely with many Tasmanian subcontractors.

The removal of the old bridge is being led by a joint venture between Hazell Bros and Brady Marine.

To help build the new, permanent Bridgewater Bridge, a temporary bridge was built across the River Derwent.

The temporary bridge allowed materials and equipment, such a large cranes and construction vehicles, to move across the river without interrupting traffic on the old bridge.

The southern section of the temporary bridge was made up of 12 large barges, up to 50 metres long, connected end-to-end and then linked to a steel bridge built from the Bridgewater foreshore.

The temporary bridge and barges have now been removed.

The new Bridgewater Bridge is a four-lane bridge with new interchanges at Granton and Bridgewater and a safe shared path for cyclists and pedestrians on the upstream side of the bridge.

On the southern side of the river at Granton, traffic flows freely from the Brooker Highway onto the Lyell Highway towards New Norfolk. A new roundabout connects to the Black Snake Road underpass and a dedicated slip lane allows traffic from the Lyell Highway to flow uninterrupted onto the Brooker Highway.

On the northern side of the river at Bridgewater, a ramp connects Boyer Road onto the new bridge for traffic travelling south, removing the need for traffic to travel back to the East Derwent Highway roundabout before travelling south.

Cyclists and pedestrians have been given a high priority, and the new bridge includes a safe three-metre-wide shared path on the upstream side of the bridge.

The lifting span of the old Bridgewater Bridge was closed while the new bridge was built. The new bridge has clearance similar to the Bowen Bridge, allowing boats to travel freely toward New Norfolk once the old bridge is removed.

The speed limit on the new bridge is 80km/h.

Rail isn’t part of the project, but we have made sure that the future use of the rail corridor isn’t prevented.

Including rail as part of the Project isn’t as simple as attaching train lines onto the side of the new bridge. Trains need alignments with shallower slopes, wider curves and different load capacities than roads that are built for cars and trucks.

The rail corridor on both sides of the river and on the causeway will be maintained with the ability to provide sufficient clearance both above and beside the corridor for future use, if needed.

To support construction activities on the southern side of the river, around 900 metres of non-operational rail infrastructure was removed along the Granton foreshore.

A purpose-built precast concrete facility was built in Bridgewater to produce the 1,082 concrete segments needed to make up the 1.2-kilometre deck of the new bridge.

The segments were make using five moulds, with each segment cast against the previous segment. This is called match-casting and ensures that the segments all fit perfectly together to provide the desired shape of the bridge.

After each segment was used to match-cast the next segment, it was relocated to the storage area and the process was repeated to make the 1,082 segments.

The final segment was lifted into place in February 2025.

There are a total of 46 piles that form the foundations of the new bridge. Because of the variable ground conditions, the depth of the piles range between 30 and 90 metres below the river.

The old Bridgewater Bridge was built in 1946 and is the fourth bridge at the crossing point between Bridgewater and Granton.

Work to safely dismantle and remove the bridge is underway because of its poor condition and growing maintenance costs.

Work will continue through until mid-2026.

Most materials from the bridge will be recycled and important heritage elements including significant welds and joints will be retained.

To honour the bridge’s legacy, the Tasmanian Government is collaborating with two local artists to create a public artwork using materials salvaged from the bridge.

The heritage-listed causeway will remain in place.

To enable the delivery of the New Bridgewater Bridge Project, the Tasmanian Government purchased the property known as the Black Snake Inn.

Property boundaries will be amended to remove the areas needed before the balance of the property is returned to the open market.

The Derwent River crossing at Bridgewater is an area with important historic cultural heritage sites and values. The area has a rich heritage that spans back well before the existing bridge was built.

As part of the approval to remove the bridge, a comprehensive Heritage Interpretation Strategy was developed, featuring a new history and heritage website and future initiatives such as an interpretive signage trail and artworks designed to share the area’s rich history with the community and visitors.

While the project doesn't include redevelopment of the Bridgewater foreshore, it will unlock many opportunities in the local area. Brighton Council has developed a master plan for the Bridgewater waterfront and Old Main Road precinct.

Construction has supported more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs, including the creation of more than 250 new jobs for Tasmanians, delivering an important boost to the local economy.

Projects of this size and scale are very rarely undertaken in Tasmania, and the State has not delivered a major bridge project since the Bowen Bridge was built in the 1980s. Because of this, no Tasmanian construction companies were eligible to submit proposals to deliver the project.

Many local businesses and suppliers have been involved through subcontracts, bringing important local knowledge and expertise to the project.

Around 85 per cent of the construction work on the project has been delivered by Tasmanians and subcontractor agreements with Tasmanian businesses, who have recruited extra capacity into their organisations.

If you have any questions about the project, you can call us on 1800 517 290 or email bridgewaterbridge@stategrowth.tas.gov.au.