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. The new bridge was opened on 1 June 2025. Work continued onsite throughout June and July. Traffic is now on the final alignment and some minor works will continue across the site over coming months.

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.

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 are now being 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 under construction and will stay closed until the old bridge is demolished. In the meantime, vessels under 2.2 meters high can still pass beneath it. 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.

Because of the poor condition and growing cost of maintaining the bridge, it will be removed. Work will start in late 2025 and continue throughout 2026.

Many people have a strong connection to the bridge, and we are working with the community to recognise and promote the heritage values of the crossing and the previous four bridges.

The causeway won’t be removed.

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

The boundaries of the property will be amended to remove the areas required for permanent project works and the balance of the property will be returned to the open market at the completion of the project.

The project won’t impact the Black Snake Inn building, other than ensuring it is appropriately maintained.

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 Project, the substantial local heritage, including other historic sites in the area, will be promoted and the history made more accessible to Tasmanians and visitors alike.

This will include a interpretive signage trail, public artwork and a package of digital material and will be implemented at the end of the project.

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

Environmental impacts were assessed as low and manageable. Prior to commencing construction in late 2022, a range of investigations were completed to understand the project land’s surrounding environment. Investigation into the area’s ecology, Aboriginal Heritage and Historic Heritage  provided a detailed understanding of the site’s diverse environmental values. This informed the project’s design and construction methodologies as well as environmental management systems. Throughout construction, potential environmental issues were closely monitored, triggering further investigation, when needed, to remain responsive to emerging environmental impacts.

The project underwent an extensive and robust planning assessment process using Tasmania’s Major Projects assessment pathway as part of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993.

Using the Major Projects pathway allowed for the coordinated assessment of a range of approvals at the same time including land use planning, environmental impacts, Aboriginal heritage, historic cultural heritage, TasWater, threatened species and gas pipeline safety.

The Tasmanian Minister for Planning declared the project to be a Major Project in December 2020 and a Major Project permit was granted in May 2022.

As well as the Major Project Permit, the project has also been granted a Parks and Wildlife Service Works Authority for the work being done in the Derwent River.

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. Around one quarter of the new jobs created will be for people from the Brighton, Derwent Valley and Glenorchy municipalities.

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.