{{Short description|Road bridge in Tasmania, Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2012}} {{otheruses}} {{Infobox bridge |name = Bridgewater Bridge |native_name = |native_name_lang = |image = New Bridgewater Bridge under construction.jpg |image_upright = 1.5 |caption = The Bridgewater Bridge |coordinates = {{Coord|42|44|42|S|147|13|33|E|type:landmark_region:AU-TAS|display=it}} |os_grid_reference = |qid = |refs = |carries = {{AUshield|N|1}} [[Midland Highway, Tasmania|Midland Highway]] |crosses = [[River Derwent (Tasmania)|River Derwent]] |locale = [[Hobart]], [[Tasmania]], Australia |starts = [[Granton, Tasmania|Granton]] |ends = [[Bridgewater, Tasmania|Bridgewater]] |named_for = [[Bridgewater, Tasmania|Bridgewater]] |owner = [[Department of State Growth]] |maint = |heritage = |id = |id_type = |preceded = [[Blair Street Bridge]] |followed = [[Bowen Bridge]] |design = [[box girder]] |material = Concrete |material1 = |length = {{convert|1.2|km|1|abbr=on}} |width = |height = |depth = |traversable = |towpath = |mainspan = |number_spans = |piers_in_water = |clearance_below = {{convert|16|m|1|abbr=on}}<ref name="inframag-oct24">{{cite web|url=https://infrastructuremagazine.com.au/bridgewater-bridge-reaches-new-heights/|title=Bridgewater Bridge reaches new heights|publisher=Infrastructure Magazine|date=30 October 2024|access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref> |lanes = 4 |num_track = |track_gauge = |designer = |contracted_designer = |engineering = |builder = [[McConnell Dowell]] |fabricator = |begin = October 2022<ref name="mercury-opening">{{cite news|url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/most-expensive-infrastructure-project-opens-to-public-pm-labels-it-building-for-australias-future/news-story/65d700042b9158a3e98b61f717a9aeaf|title=Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opens Bridgewater Bridge|publisher=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]]|date=1 June 2025|access-date=2 June 2025|url-access=subscription}}</ref> |open = 1 June 2025 |inaugurated = |rebuilt = |collapsed = |closed = |replaces = [[Truss bridge]] with [[Vertical lift bridge|vertical lift]] {{small|(1946-2025)}} |replaced_by = |mapframe = yes |extra = }} The '''Bridgewater Bridge''' is a {{convert|1.2|km|mi|1|adj=mid|-long}} concrete [[box girder]] bridge that carries the [[Midland Highway, Tasmania|Midland Highway]] across the [[River Derwent, Tasmania|River Derwent]] in [[Hobart]], [[Tasmania]], Australia. This bridge connects the Hobart suburbs of [[Bridgewater, Tasmania|Bridgewater]] and [[Granton, Tasmania|Granton]]. It accommodates a four-lane [[highway]] and a [[grade-separated]] [[footpath]] and [[bike lane|cycle lane]]. It is the fifth such bridge at this location to carry this name.<ref name="bridgeopening-pulse">{{cite news|url=https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/12000-tasmanians-walk-new-bridgewater-bridge-ahead-of-traffic-opening|title=12,000 Tasmanians walk new Bridgewater Bridge ahead of traffic opening|publisher=Pulse Tasmania|date=1 June 2025|access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="bridgeopening-abc">{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-01/tasmania-new-bridgewater-bridge-opening-in-hobart-albanese/105362926|title=New Bridgewater Bridge opens to thousands of interested walkers after completion|publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|date=1 June 2025|access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref>
The bridge was funded by the [[Australian Government|Australian]] and [[Tasmanian Government]]s at a cost of $786 million<ref name="bridgeopening-abc"/> and constructed by [[McConnell Dowell]].<ref name="mccd">{{cite web|url=https://www.mcconnelldowell.com/projects/new-bridgewater-bridge-project|title=McConnell Dowell - New Bridgewater Bridge}}</ref> it is expected to service 22,000 trips per day.<ref name="bridgeofficial-pulse">{{cite news|url=https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/women-who-witnessed-1946-bridgewater-bridge-opening-help-launch-its-replacement/|title=Women who witnessed 1946 Bridgewater Bridge opening help launch its replacement|publisher=Pulse Tasmania|date=1 June 2025|access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref> It is the first bridge at the location to have a marine navigation clearance of greater than 16 metres - consistent with the [[Bowen Bridge]].<ref name="inframag-oct24"/>
It was opened in June 2025 to replace the fourth Bridgewater Bridge ('''Bridgewater Bridge and Causeway'''), a steel [[Truss bridge|truss]] [[vertical-lift bridge]] and specially-built [[causeway]]. This was a two-lane road bridge that also carried the [[South Line, Tasmania|South Railway Line]] until its closure in 2014. This bridge had been in operation since 1946, and was the oldest surviving lift span bridge in Australia; lifting of the bridge caused considerable traffic delays in the bridge's final years.<ref name="pulsetas-endofera">{{Cite web |date=2025-05-31 |title=End of an era as 78-year-old Bridgewater Bridge closes to traffic for good |url=https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/end-of-an-era-as-78-year-old-bridgewater-bridge-closes-to-traffic-for-good/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=Pulse Tasmania |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Previous structures== The Bridgewater Bridge was among the first bridges constructed in [[Tasmania]] after British settlement in 1803, and gave its name to the nearby suburb of [[Bridgewater, Tasmania|Bridgewater.]] [[Lieutenant-Governor]] [[Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet|George Arthur]] commissioned the construction of the bridge and causeway to connect the [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]]{{spaced endash}} Hobart Trunk Road, linking both Tasmanian towns and providing easier access to farmlands in the [[Midlands, Tasmania|interior of Tasmania]].
===The causeway=== Construction commenced on the bridge in 1829. Operations were supervised by [[Roderic O'Connor (land commissioner)|Roderic O'Connor]].<ref>{{cite AuDB |last=Eldershaw |first=P. R. |title=O'Connor, Roderic (1784–1860) |volume=2 |publisher=[[Melbourne University Press]] |year=1967 }}</ref> The causeway, which was constructed first, was built by a workforce of 200 [[convict]]s who had been sentenced to secondary punishment. These convicts, using nothing but wheelbarrows, shovels and picks and muscle power, shifted {{convert|2|e6t|e6ST|abbr=off}} of soil, stones and clay. The finished causeway stretched {{convert|1.3|km|mi|0}}, although did not span the full width of the Derwent. The original plan apparently called for a [[viaduct]], but this plan was abandoned and the half-built arches were filled in to form the present causeway.
===Early bridges=== Upon completion of the causeway, a [[Punt (boat)|punt]] operated across the deep, navigable section of the river, but could not cope with traffic demands. To resolve this issue, an Act of Parliament was passed in 1846 to enable construction of a bridge.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8759112 |title=LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. |newspaper=[[Colonial Times]] |volume=34 |issue=1856 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=18 August 1846 |accessdate=6 June 2025 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The accepted design was a timber bridge, was by the firm of architect and former convict [[James Blackburn (architect)|James Blackburn]].<ref>{{cite AuDB |author=Preston, Harley |title=Blackburn, James (1803–1854) |volume=1 |publisher=[[Melbourne University Press]] |year=1966 |pages=109-110 |id2=blackburn-james-1789 }}</ref> Being a [[retractable bridge|sliding bridge]], it could slide back to allow shipping to pass through. Construction started in 1848, and opened to traffic in April 1849.<ref name="engausnom">{{cite web|url=https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/HRP.Bridgewater%20Bridge%20Tasmania.Nomination.V4.30%20April%202018.pdf|title=Bridgewater Bridge - Nomination for Engineers Australia Engineering Heritage Recognition|publisher=[[Engineers Australia]]|author=Ian D. Cooper|date=April 2018|access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref>
In the early 1870s, the [[South Line, Tasmania|Tasmanian Main Line Railway]] called for widening of the causeway so the railway could be laid on the downstream side. A second bridge was built alongside the first, parallel to it. The northern abutment was about 50 feet downstream from the road bridge. This bridge featured a [[swing bridge|swing]] span opening.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tasmaniantimes.com/2020/09/retaining-bridgewater-bridge-for-rail/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210200819/https://www.tasmaniantimes.com/2020/09/retaining-bridgewater-bridge-for-rail/|title=Retaining Bridgewater Bridge for Rail|author=Tony Coen|publisher=[[Tasmanian Times]]|date=3 September 2020|access-date=5 June 2025|archive-date=10 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="engausnom" /> Construction commenced in 1869 and it was completed 1874.<ref name="engausnom" />
On 22 July 1886, a train from the north was passing over the bridge when the engine left the tracks and tipped over, hanging precariously above the water on the edge of the southern end of the swing bridge.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169157922 |title=Latest Particulars |newspaper=[[Tasmanian News]] |issue=829 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=23 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Two people, fireman William Shaw<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169157923 |title=Serious Railway Disaster – Loss of Life – Miraculous Escape|newspaper=[[Tasmanian News]] |issue=829 |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=23 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and passenger Daniel Turner, died as a result of the accident.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9124878 |title=The Fatal Railway Disaster at Bridgewater |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=XLIX |issue=5,119 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=24 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169158004 |title=The Bridgewater Disaster |newspaper=[[Tasmanian News]] |issue=830 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=24 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The driver was injured. The locomotive was salvageable. The cause of the accident was found to be that the rails failed to match properly when the bridge was closed, so the bridge was modified again to solve this problem.
In 1891 a new bridge was built on the upstream side of the road and rail bridges, and this too, had an opening swing span. Although initially planned as a road crossing, this bridge was designed to be a permanent railway bridge, and was built as a straight line extension of the causeway, with the northern abutment being some 60 metres upstream from the other bridges. When this third bridge was completed in 1893, it was initially used as road bridge, to divert traffic off the 1849 road bridge which was deteriorating rapidly. For six years there were three bridges crossing the Derwent simultaneously, as it was not until 1899 that the 1849 draw-back bridge (the first bridge) was finally dismantled. The introduction of heavier locomotives necessitated the transfer of the railway to the 1893 bridge. In 1907-08 the causeway was widened again, this time on the upstream side, and the tracks laid flush in the centre of the roadway on the 1893 bridge. This would be Bridgewater's modern joint road-rail bridge going forward, but would not be without problems. Road users complained of delays from waiting for trains to cross and the frequent opening of the swing span for river craft lead to near misses and irked local residents. A public meeting was held and the State Government was pressured to make the old 1874 TMLR railway bridge available for road traffic. New piles were added to the 1874 rail bridge, the rails lifted, and the deck converted to a roadway. By November 1908 both bridges had swapped roles: the 1893 road bridge became a railway bridge (as always intended), and the old 1874 railway bridge had now become a road bridge (as never intended). The concrete and steel caisson pivot and the sandstone abutments of the 1893 road/railway bridge are still standing and can be viewed on the upstream or left side of the present bridge as one travels towards the north.<ref>The Bridges, Roads and Rails of Bridgewater, Lindsay Whitham</ref>
Both the first and second bridges did not run straight off the end of the causeway; rather, they turned slightly to the right, or downstream. The first swing bridge (originally the TMLR rail bridge) was left standing when the present lifting bridge was being constructed to prevent traffic stoppages, so the present bridge deviates from the causeway quite appreciably.
===Fourth bridge=== {{Infobox bridge |name = Bridgewater Bridge |native_name = |native_name_lang = |image = Bridgewater Causeway Crop.jpg |image_upright = 1.5 |caption = Fourth Bridgewater Bridge (1946-2025) |coordinates = <!--{{Coord|42|44|27|S|147|13|31|E|type:landmark_region:AU-TAS|display=it}}--> |os_grid_reference = |qid = |refs = |carries = {{AUshield|N|1}} [[Midland Highway, Tasmania|Midland Highway]]<br>[[South Line, Tasmania|South Railway Line]] |crosses = [[River Derwent (Tasmania)|River Derwent]] |locale = [[Hobart]], [[Tasmania]], Australia |starts = [[Granton, Tasmania|Granton]] |ends = [[Bridgewater, Tasmania|Bridgewater]] |named_for = [[Bridgewater, Tasmania|Bridgewater]] |owner = [[Department of State Growth]] |maint = |heritage = |id = |id_type = |preceded = |followed = |design = [[Truss bridge]] with [[Vertical lift bridge|vertical lift]] |material = Steel |material1 = |length = |width = |height = |depth = |traversable = |towpath = |mainspan = |number_spans = |piers_in_water = 13 |clearance_below = |lanes = 2 |num_track = 1 |track_gauge = {{RailGauge|1067mm}} |designer = |contracted_designer = |engineering = |builder = |fabricator = |begin = 1939 |open = 1946 |inaugurated = |rebuilt = |collapsed = |closed = 2025 |replaces = [[Swing bridge|Swing]] [[Punt (boat)|punt]] {{small|({{circa|1900s}}-1946)}} |replaced_by = Four-lane concrete [[box girder]] |mapframe = no |extra = }}
{{refimprove section|date=December 2020}} [[File:Bridgewater bridge.jpg|thumb|right|The Bridgewater Bridge (facing north). The rail line runs on the left (west side) of the causeway and bridge.]] [[File:Bridgewater Bridge from north.jpg|thumb|right|The Bridgewater Bridge, Tasmania, from the northern access near the town of Bridgewater (facing south).]] Construction on the steel vertical lift bridge across the Derwent began in 1939.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25623321 |title=Progress of New Bridge at Bridgewater | newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CL |issue=21,309 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=14 March 1939 |access-date=5 January 2021 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Construction was interrupted by [[World War II]];<ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25915239 |title=Delays in Work | newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CLVI |issue=22,337 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=3 July 1942 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> the bridge opened to road traffic in March 1942,<ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69102187 |title=Bridgewater Bridge |newspaper=[[The Advocate (Tasmania)|The Advocate]] |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=5 December 1945 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> with completion of the lifting segment finally completed in early 1946.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26163477 |title=No Water for Gardens at Franklin | newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CLXIII |issue=23,425 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=3 January 1946 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The bridge opened to rail traffic in late 1946.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26361513 |title=First Over New Bridge | newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CLXIV |issue=23,660 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=7 October 1946 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> It consists of a long concrete bridge that leads off the end of the causeway, and a steel lifting section just before the northern bank of the river. The lifting section is one of only a few remaining in the [[Southern Hemisphere]], and is the largest of its kind remaining in Australia. The bridge was designed to last a century without replacement. A small control house stands on the lifting section. Inside are the switches and locks which operate the bridge.
Until 1984, the [[Norske Skog|Australian Newsprint Mills]] at [[Boyer, Tasmania|Boyer]] moved all its produce by river. [[Barge]]s were used to transport paper from the mill to the storage sheds at Pavilion Point at Hobart, and for this reason the bridge was required to open very frequently. Consequently, a bridge-keeper lived on-site and opened and closed the bridge when required. However, when the decision was made to cease river transportation, an on-site keeper was no longer necessary, so bridge openings became less frequent.
In response to vandalism of the house which contains the bridge operating controls, [[closed-circuit television]] cameras were installed along the lifting span sometime between 2003 and 2005.
On 30 October 2006 a fault was found in one of the steel cables holding up the two {{convert|170|t|ST|adj=on}} concrete counterweights above the road, forcing the temporary closure of the bridge.<ref>Bridgewater bridge problems disrupt rail traffic ''[[Tasmanian Rail News]]'' issue 233 November 2006 page=3</ref> This closure caused peak hour traffic delays, mainly along the [[East Derwent Highway]], due to traffic being diverted over the [[Bowen Bridge|Bowen]] and [[Tasman Bridge|Tasman]] bridges. The cables, which were put in place in 1994, were supposed to have a 20-year lifespan and had lasted barely over half that time.
From 2006 until 2010, the lifting segment of the Bridgewater Bridge was out of commission, due to failed maintenance. The State Government spent $14 million to refurbish the bridge and provide it with a further 15 years of life, until a replacement could be built.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ogilvie, Rosemary Ann |date=July 2010 |title=Bridgewater: Australia's oldest lift span bridge refurbished |url=http://www.earthmover.com.au/news/2010/july/bridgewater-australia2019s-oldest-lift-span-bridge-refurbished |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321165350/http://www.earthmover.com.au/news/2010/july/bridgewater-australia2019s-oldest-lift-span-bridge-refurbished |archive-date=21 March 2014 |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=The Earthmover and Civil Contractor}}</ref> This refurbishment replaced the vandalised control house and its controls and all of the cabling to raise and lower the bridge. Touted as a "major tourist attraction" with expected regular openings for tourist and private vessels to travel between Hobart and {{TAScity|New Norfolk}}, the bridge refurbishment was a failure, only successfully opening a handful of times.<ref name="pulsetas-endofera"/>
Rail services ceased using the bridge when the South Line was cut back to terminate at the [[Brighton Transport Hub]] in June 2014.<ref>[https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/end-of-the-line-for-tasrails-last-train-out-of-hobart/news-story/72a4291421212e7ae7e380982a4dc92d End of the line for TasRail’s last train out of Hobart] ''The Mercury'' 22 June 2014</ref><ref>Hobart closure ''Tasmanian Rail News'' issue 255 October 2014 page 2</ref> The bridge received an Engineering Heritage Marker from [[Engineers Australia]] in 2018 as part of its [[Engineers Australia#Engineering Heritage Recognition Program|Engineering Heritage Recognition Program]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/heritage/bridgewater-bridge-hobart-tasmania|title=Bridgewater Bridge, Hobart, Tasmania|publisher=Engineers Australia|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>
Following the opening of the new Bridgewater Bridge, the old bridge started to be demolished in October 2025 and is expected to conclude in mid-2026. Upon completion on-water vessels will be able to travel upstream of Bridgewater towards the [[Derwent Valley, Tasmania|Derwent Valley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bridgewaterbridge.tas.gov.au/news/removing-the-old-bridgewater-bridge-october-2025|title=Removing the old Bridgewater Bridge – October 2025|date=27 October 2025|work=Department of State Growth}}</ref>
==Fifth bridge== {{Further|Southern Transport Investment Program}} [[File:New Bridgewater Bridge under construction.jpg|thumb|New Bridgewater Bridge in final stages of construction]] Between 2001 and 2005, the [[Government of Australia|Australian Government]] set aside $100 million towards the replacement of the Bridgewater Bridge,<ref name=stateline>{{cite web |author=Blackwood, Fiona |date=7 October 2005 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/tas/content/2005/s1477286.htm |title=Bridgewater Bridge |format=transcript |work=[[Stateline (TV program)|Stateline Tasmania]] |publisher=[[ABC Television (Australian TV network)|ABC Television]] |location=Australia |access-date=28 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110155341/http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/tas/content/2005/s1477286.htm |archive-date=10 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> soon after the [[Government of Tasmania|Tasmanian Government]] decided to build the replacement to the south of the existing bridge. However, after years of inaction the State government has encountered some [[Industrial heritage|heritage]] issues with replacing the bridge and is to be replaced as part of the final stage of the [[Brighton Bypass]] and Midland Highway upgrade.
Towards the end of 2010, the State government released plans for a new River Derwent crossing, next to the existing bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bridgewater Bridge Replacement Planning Study |date=December 2010 |url=http://www.transport.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/53329/Bridgewater_Bridge_Replacement_Planning_Study.pdf |work=Department of Transport |publisher=Government of Tasmania |access-date=2 January 2011}}</ref> The new bridge would carry the Midland Highway and the old bridge will be left open for rail, pedestrian and local traffic. While the Bridgewater Bridge is recognised as being limited in its ability to perform the function of the Midland Highway, it also has important heritage values and is recognised as a landmark in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0031/56929/bridgewater20bridge20refurbishment.pdf|title=Parliamentary Standing Committee On Public Works - Bridgewater Bridge Refurbishment|date=2009|access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.895533159569833|title=River Derwent, Tasmania - Bridgewater bridges - past and present|publisher=Fowler, A|date=2011|access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref>
In March 2016, Infrastructure Tasmania published its review of a design and cost estimate for the construction of a replacement structure for the existing Bridgewater Bridge, which considered various options for a replacement structure and provided advice as to the most feasible crossing solution. As part of the [[2018 Australian federal budget|2018–19 federal budget]], the Australian Government announced a $461 million grant towards the construction of a new Bridgewater Bridge, representing 80 per cent of the expected total construction cost. The Tasmanian Government is expected to contribute $115 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/infrastructure_tasmania/bridgewater_bridge_replacement |title=Bridgewater bridge replacement |work=[[Department of State Growth]] |publisher=Tasmanian Government |date=March 2016 |access-date=7 April 2020 }}</ref> Construction was expected to commence in 2019;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/149877/Review_of_Bridgewater_Bridge_Design_and_Cost_Estimate_-_final.pdf |title=Review of Bridgewater Bridge design and cost estimate |work=Infrastructure Tasmania |publisher=Tasmanian Government |date=March 2016 |access-date=7 April 2020 |page=9 }}</ref> however, following independent assessment of the project by [[Infrastructure Australia]] in July 2019, the evaluation identified a range of issues, which may add to costs and require further work to address, and recommended that the Tasmanian Government revise its business case. The project was scheduled to start design and approvals in 2019, with the design to be agreed by the end of 2020. Substantive construction was expected to commence in 2022 and completion was targeted in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://infrastructurepipeline.org/project/new-bridgewater-bridge/ |title=New Bridgewater Bridge |publisher=Infrastructure Partnerships Australia |date=11 October 2019 |access-date=7 April 2020 }}</ref>
The project scope also included re-configuration of the interchanges at Granton and Bridgewater to provide [[grade separation|grade-separated]] access.<ref name="mccd" />
The bridge officially opened to traffic on the evening of 1 June 2025, following a community walk over the bridge earlier that day.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kaine |first1=Elise |last2=Holding |first2=Genevieve |date=1 June 2025 |title=Most expensive infrastructure project opens to public, PM labels it 'building for Australia's future' |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news%2Ftasmania%2Fmost-expensive-infrastructure-project-opens-to-public-pm-labels-it-building-for-australias-future%2Fnews-story%2F65d700042b9158a3e98b61f717a9aeaf |access-date=1 June 2025 |work=The Mercury}}</ref> The first vehicle to cross the bridge was a vintage 1910 [[Star Motor Company|Star]] Roadster, carrying two women, Margaret McMaster and Barbara Jones, who were present at the previous bridge's opening in 1946.<ref name="bridgeofficial-pulse" />
The bridge includes two fixed [[traffic enforcement camera|speed camera]]s<ref name="bridgeopening-pulse"/> and two electronic [[variable-message signs]].<ref name="vms-pulse">{{cite news|url=https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/complex-rollout-of-new-highway-signs-means-no-live-updates-until-next-year|title='Complex' rollout of new highway signs across Hobart means no live updates until next year|publisher=[[Pulse Tasmania]]|date=13 December 2024|access-date=5 June 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Bridgewater Bridge|Bridgewater Bridge (Tasmania, Australia)}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090707105411/http://images.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Search/Search.asp?Keywords=Bridgewater+Bridge&x=13&y=9 State Library of Tasmania Images], historic pictures of the Bridgewater Bridge and Causeway *[http://www.railtasmania.com/photogal/showimage.php?id=143 RailTasmania], modern picture of the Bridgewater Bridge and Causeway
{{Crossings navbox |structure = Bridges |place = [[River Derwent, Tasmania|River Derwent]] |bridge = Bridgewater Bridge |bridge signs = {{AUshield|N|1}} |upstream = [[Blair Street Bridge]] |upstream signs = {{AUshield|TAS|A10}} |downstream = [[Bowen Bridge]] |downstream signs = {{AUshield|TAS|B35}} }} {{Australian railway bridges|state=autocollapse}} {{Hobart landmarks}} {{Road infrastructure in Hobart}}
[[Category:Bridges completed in 2025]] [[Category:Bridges in Hobart]] [[Category:Concrete bridges in Australia]] [[Category:River Derwent (Tasmania)]] [[Category:Road bridges in Tasmania]] [[Category:2025 establishments in Australia]]