Oversize truck movements on East Derwent Highway and Brooker Highway – April 2024

Motorists are asked to be aware of oversized truck movements from Bridgewater to Granton via the East Derwent Highway and Brooker Highway over coming months as major construction on the New Bridgewater Bridge continues.

From Monday, 8 April 2024 the first of the concrete bridge segments, each weighing between 50 and 90 tonnes will start travelling from the project’s purpose-built precast concrete production facility in Bridgewater to the southern abutment of the new bridge in Granton.

These segments will travel via the East Derwent Highway, Bowen Bridge and Brooker Highway to the project site in Granton. In the coming weeks, some segments will also be transported to Granton via the existing Bridgewater Bridge.

The segments to be transported to Granton account for roughly half of the 1,082 segments being produced to form the 1.2-kilometre concrete deck of the new bridge and once they arrive on site, will be lifted into place using large cranes and specially designed lifting frames.

To minimise disruption and to keep people safe, the movements will take place during day, outside of peak travel times, and will travel from the precast yard to their destination in Granton, travelling between 5-30km/h.

To assist with the movements via the Bowen Bridge, Department of State Growth Transport Inspectors will be escorting the oversize loads and will assist the trucks to utilise six pullover bays along the travel route if traffic banks up behind the slow-moving vehicles.

While no major road closures are expected, motorists are asked to slow down if they observe a Transport Inspector or pilot vehicle and obey all directions given.

Some minor interruptions to traffic may occur, including short traffic stoppages as the trucks travel over a series of bridges, including the Jordan River Bridge.