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Bridgewater Bridge ‘problem’ won’t cause delays or cost money, Tasmanian Government says

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Bridgewater Bridge ‘problem’ won’t cause delays or cost money, Tasmanian Government says

Crews are working to fix an “issue” identified during the ongoing construction of the new Bridgewater Bridge, but the Tasmanian Government is adamant it will not impact the project’s cost or completion date.

The $786 million bridge on the outskirts of Hobart is Tasmania’s largest transport infrastructure project.

Construction of the 1.2-kilometre deck, which will replace the existing bridge, built in 1946, began in late 2022.

It is built using 1,082 precast concrete segments that are gradually attached to the structure.

Bridge under construction

According to a union representative, the problem could be resolved “over the weekend.” (ABC News: Johnny McNee)

A new problem involves temporary work on one of the supports to which the concrete segments are attached.

“We have identified a problem with the temporary expansion joint installed on the new bridge,” a state Department of Economic Development spokesman said.

“The temporary work on the first section of Pier 15 was not completed properly and some adjustments are needed.”

Adjustments were being made as quickly as possible to allow “segmental lifts” to move to the next span of the bridge, the spokesman said.

The uneven gap seen in the segment near the affected pier will be corrected once adjustments are made, they said.

“The uneven area will be corrected once the temporary expansion joint at Pier 15 is removed.”

The project is still scheduled to be completed in mid-2025, the spokesperson said.

“While the issue is resolved, crews will continue to work in other areas to ensure the project continues to move forward.

“As adjustments are only being made to temporary works, there will be no impact on the permanent structure and it is not expected to delay the overall completion of the project.

“There will be no additional costs to the state.”

The project is jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian governments through an agreement with Hobart.

CFMEU organizer Richie Hassett visited the site on Tuesday and said he was confident the problem could be resolved quickly.

“We are comfortable with the current state of affairs and the plan that management has developed,” Mr. Hassett said.

“If everything is done correctly and safely, then hopefully everything will be resolved over the weekend.”

Aerial view of the bridge construction project.

Aerial view of Bridgewater Bridge construction, seen from the southern end, as of July 2024. (Government of Tasmania)

Greens member for Lyon Tabatha Badger said constituents contacted her after seeing the uneven segment.

“I’ve had a lot of people contact me over the past few days concerned about what’s going on with the Bridgewater Bridge after they saw something that didn’t look quite right,” she said.

“It’s not surprising that people are concerned about this. After all, this is the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Tassie and thousands of people cross the river at Bridgwater every single day.”

She said while it was normal to expect large projects to run into problems, she called for transparency to maintain community trust.

Construction company McConnell Dowell is under contract to build the bridge.