Stripped back designs for Tasman Bridge path upgrades released for public feedback

New designs for the Tasman Bridge Upgrade project have been revealed after original plans to widen the pedestrian and cycling lanes were scrapped. HAVE YOUR SAY.

The Tasman Bridge. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

New concept designs for the Tasman Bridge Upgrade project have been released for public feedback, after original plans to significantly widen the pedestrian and cycling paths were abandoned last year.

The new plans propose raising the height of the safety barriers on both sides of the bridge, improving pathway connections, and installing passing bays.

The latest designs come after the original concepts released in 2022, which included 3.5-metre wide pathways on both sides of the bridge, were scrapped.

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Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the $130 million project had to be scaled back as the plans were not feasible within the budget.

“Detailed engineering reports have found that 3.5 metre wide pathways cannot be installed along the full length of the bridge without significantly modifying its structure, which would cost far more than the project’s budget,” he said.

Proposed eastern shore pathway connections.

A State Growth spokesman said the pathways will not be significantly widened in the new designs, except in short areas to assist in passing.

“We know this news will be disappointing for people who wish to use the pathways. We wanted to build wider pathways to support more walking, wheeling and riding,” the spokesman said.

The updated design’s main focus is raising the height of safety barriers, in line with coronial recommendations.

The other major change is upgrading the shared path underneath the bridge to improve connections to the bridge pathways from Conora Road and Topham street.

“The pathway connections to the bridge will be improved first, to lessen the impact on pathway users when we later close one pathway at a time to install the higher safety barriers,” a State Growth spokesman said.

Community consultation for the bridge pathways and barrier designs will open in mid-2025 with all pathway upgrades expected to be completed in late 2026.

Originally published as Stripped back designs for Tasman Bridge path upgrades released for public feedback