Country’s best compete to build new Bridgewater Bridge - Dec 2020

Two of the country’s top construction companies have been shortlisted to build Hobart’s new Bridgewater Bridge.

McConnell Dowell Constructors (Australia) Pty Ltd and CPB Contractors Pty Ltd will now take part in a competitive Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) process to develop their designs and construction methods for the jointly funded $576 million project.

During this stage, these experienced bridge building contractors will work collaboratively with the Department of State Growth to progress and refine their individual tenders for the design and construction of the project.

The successful tenderer will be engaged by the end of 2021 to build the new bridge, including grade-separated interchanges at Bridgewater and Granton and a three-metre shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.

Building a new Bridgewater Bridge will change the way people travel between the north and south of the state and deliver a more reliable journey for the thousands of people who cross the bridge and use surrounding roads each day.

A reference design showing what could be built to achieve the project’s design requirements within budget was released to the community last month, with more than 2 500 people visiting the project’s interactive map over the month-long consultation period.

The reference design and all feedback received will now be given to the two shortlisted companies to consider when developing their designs to optimise the delivery of the project.

The competitive design process encourages these two companies to come up with innovative construction methods and use their expertise to prepare and price ‘value for money’ designs that deliver the desired outcomes.

Building a new Bridgewater Bridge is the largest single transport infrastructure project in Tasmania’s history and using local knowledge and expertise will help grow the Tasmanian economy and support jobs.

The commitment to use local businesses, suppliers and materials was a key consideration in the selection of the two shortlisted companies.

Delivering economic and social benefits for Tasmania is essential and each company will develop and submit Tasmanian Industry Participation Plans as part of their tenders to design and construct the new bridge.

The assessment and selection of the successful tenderer will be in accordance with the Tasmanian Government’s Buy Local policy.

Work to build the new bridge will start in 2022, and the new bridge will be open to traffic by the end of 2024.