Bridgewater Bridge opening delay spares local MP from pledge to eat his hat if it was on time

Bridgewater Bridge won’t open to traffic until at least the middle of 2025, pushing back by six months a deadline trumpeted by Liberal government ministers for years. The reason behind the delay.

Michael Ferguson MP at the new Bridgewater Bridge concrete facility at Bridgewater. Picture: Chris Kidd

Bridgewater Bridge won’t open to traffic until at least the middle of 2025, pushing back by six months a deadline trumpeted by Liberal government ministers for years.

The state government’s announcement on Friday of the delay has spared local federal MP Brian Mitchell from eating his hat, after he made a bet the bridge could not be completed within the time frame promised.

As recently as July, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said traffic was expected to be driving on the new bridge by the end of 2024.

But in the last six months, that deadline has slipped six months.

Transport Minister Michael Ferguson at the new Bridgewater Bridge concrete facility at Bridgewater. Picture: Chris Kidd

“The original construction schedule remains on time to be completed in mid-2025,” Mr Ferguson said.

“While opening the bridge to one lane of traffic in each direction at 60km/h by the end of 2024 was the initial target, I am advised by project management that they can complete the job more efficiently, with less risk to worker safety and open to all four lanes of traffic at 80km/h within the overall due date.

“Planning work started back in 2019, so to finish this project within months of the forecast date will be a significant achievement considering the challenges across the building and construction industry.”

In 2022, Former Premier Peter Gutwein backed Mr Mitchell to lose both the bet and his seat.

“My hope that after this election, he’s a private citizen, and he can sit there quietly in his deckchair and eat his hat,” he said.

Mr Mitchell was re-elected at the subsequent federal election. He was gracious in victory.

“The new bridge crew is going great guns but I always knew the 2024 claim by the Tasmanian Liberal government was a fantasy. My hat was always safe as houses,” he said.

Labor leader Rebecca White panned the announcement.

“The government has repeatedly said that cars will first drive on the bridge in 2024, but have today come clean on the fact that this timeline will not be met,” she said.

“Michael Ferguson and Jeremy Rockliff have both said that cars will drive on the bridge by 2024, but in the last weeks before Christmas they reveal they will no longer meet their own deadline.

“What other projects can we expect to hear delays about in the final days of 2023 as the government rushes to put out the bad news before the year is over?

“It’s safe to say Federal Member for Lyons Brian Mitchell won’t be eating his hat any time soon.”

Bridgewater Bridge construction.

Timeline of the Bridgewater Bridge project:

• 2004: Federal Coalition government pledges $100m for a new bridge, which is expected to cost up to $150m.
• 2005: Funding earmarked is diverted to a package to rescue the state’s rail network and to the future Brighton bypass.
• 2006: The bridge lifting span suffers problems and is closed to river traffic.
• 2007: Coalition again commits $100m for a new bridge while federal Labor promises a $14m upgrade to the bridge’s lifting span.
• 2010: Lifting span upgraded.
• 2011: Concept design released by Labor state government says a new bridge will cost between $600m and $800m.
• 2011-2015: Multiple lifting span failures.
• 2012: State government gets $6.4m from the federal government to buy property at Bridgewater and Granton to make way for a new bridge.
• 2015: Liberal government sets up a project team to come up with a bridge design.
• 2016: State government unveils new plan with a price tag of $535m. Over the next two years the cost grows to $576m.
• May 2018: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pledges $461m towards a new bridge.
• February 2019: New bridge included in Hobart City Deal and is set to be completed in 2024.
• July 2019: Infrastructure Australia declines to list the bridge as a priority project, citing the project’s huge cost and potential “unresolved engineering issues” that could add further cost.
• September 2019: Three Greater Hobart mayors question whether the bridge replacement is the right way to go, given the cost.
• October 2019: The federal Infrastructure Department reveals the business case for the bridge is being revised.
• December 2019: Consultants Pitt and Sherry given $856,647 to conduct geotechnical work that will inform a new strategy on the bridge.
• January 2020: Government advertises a $200,000 a year position for a person to manage the bridge project.
• February 2020: The State Government awards a consultant $590,000 to look at how to make the bridge cheaper to build.
• July 2020: Concept designs for the new bridge released with a price tag of $576m.
• December 2020: Bridge declared a major project under new legislation.
• December 2021: McConnell Dowell Constructors named as the preferred tenderer. Federal Government increased its funding for the project to $628.8m and a total cost of $786m.
• April 2022: Labor member for Lyons offers to eat his hat if 2024 opening deadline is met. Construction begins soon after.
• Mid-2025: Bridge scheduled to open traffic.
• 2025/26: Old bridge to be demolished. Last federal funding expected to be expended, according to the federal budget.

Originally published as Bridgewater Bridge opening delay spares local MP from pledge to eat his hat if it was on time