Peter Gutwein says Bridgewater Bridge will be open in 2024
The Bridgewater Bridge will open to traffic in 2024 and a sceptical Federal Labor MP is welcome to eat his hat, Premier Peter Gutwein said.
Tasmania
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THE Bridgewater Bridge will open to traffic in 2024 and a sceptical Federal Labor MP is welcome to eat his hat, Premier Peter Gutwein said.
The $786m project is expected to start construction later this year.
Rejecting claims from federal Labor’s Brian Mitchell that the bridge opening was likely to be delayed until the 2025/26 financial year, Mr Gutwein said it would be open on schedule.
“I expect cars will be running on that in 2024. I have no advice won’t have vehicles on that bridge in 2024,” he said.
The end of 2024 is just under two years and nine months — or 1005 days — away.
It will be the 20th anniversary of the proposal to construct a replacement bridge with a price tag $100m to $150m.
Mr Gutwein said he would be happy for the Mr Mitchell, the federal Labor member for Lyons to eat his hat when the bridge opens on time.
“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.
“I must say I think that when it’s built, and we’ve got vehicles on 2024, I think it’d be a fantastic gateway to Hobart.”
BRIDGEWATER BRIDGE TIMELINE
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.
Mid-2022: Construction expected to begin.
2024: Bridge scheduled to open traffic.
2025/26: Old bridge to be demolished. Last federal funding expected to be expended, according to the federal budget.
Claims Bridgewater Bridge project timeline blown out
THE timeline for delivering Bridgewater Bridge appears to have blown out, federal Labor says.
And federal budget has revealed the cost of delivering the long-awaited crossing of the River Derwent has gone up by $210m to $786m.
The state government’s website for the project says: “Major construction will start in 2022 and the new bridge will be open by the end of 2024.”
But Lyons MP Brian Mitchell says documents tendered in federal budget Estimates hearings show funding for the project is scheduled to be doled out into the 2025/26 financial year.
The state government — which is responsible for building the bridge — denies there has been any change to the project deadline and the extra money is for knocking down the old crossing.
Mr Mitchell, says he questions whether the deadline for the project has been extended like so many other major infrastructure projects.
“The people of Bridgewater and Brighton and the surrounds have been waiting a long time for this bridge,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The government has been at pains to say for the last few years that everything is on track and there will be cars rolling over by 2024/25.
“I’ve been saying that I don’t believe it and if it happens I’ll eat my hat.
“Now we have confirmation of funding in 2025/26, $31m is more money than you’d spend just tidying up the bridge at the end of construction.
“We’re halfway through 2022, in two and a half years they’re going to build this massive project.
“How long have they been building the airport overpass? I just want them to come clean. Just tell the truth.”
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said the project was on track for on-time delivery.
“The Tasmanian Liberal government has been clear that vehicles will drive on the new bridge by 2024,” he said.
“Labor has conveniently failed to notice that the Federal Budget funding profile for the Bridgewater bridge project has not changed from last year’s budget, other than a further $210 million being committed to enhancing connectivity at both the Granton and Bridgewater sides of the Derwent.
“Because the chosen design is an independent bridge separate from the existing bridge and causeway, the demolition of the existing bridge and associated road interchange works will occur after the construction of the new bridge.
“The project also contains contingency funds that are cash-flowed at the end of the project timeline.”
Mr Ferguson said he hoped the project would receive official planning approval from the Tasmania Planning Commission soon with major construction to start mid-year.”
Originally published as Peter Gutwein says Bridgewater Bridge will be open in 2024
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