Retail anger at eight-week closure while Victoria Dock swing bridge undergoes repairs

MAJOR bridge repairs will sever Hunter St shops and cruise passengers from Hobart's waterfront, say retailers and tourism groups.

Victoria Dock Closure

MAJOR bridge repairs will sever Hunter St shops and cruise passengers from Hobart's waterfront, say retailers and tourism groups.

The Victoria Dock swing bridge will be out of action for eight weeks from mid-March as part of a $750,000 upgrade by TasPorts.

The bridge was built in the 1960s and the original bearing that opens and closes it needs to be replaced.

Finger piers in the dock also need to be remediated.

The bridge will be removed for off-site repairs, cutting direct access between Hunter St and Salamanca.

Art Mob owner Euan Hill said shops and cafes in Hunter St would see a major drop in business.

"I'm utterly gobsmacked; this will have a huge, negative effect on business," he said.

Mr Hill said a better solution would be to move the boats out of Victoria Dock while the bridge was repaired, so it could be replaced with a temporary fixed crossing for cars and pedestrians.

Hobart deputy lord mayor Ron Christie said the closure would isolate the wharf area and have a major impact on 6000 passengers and crew aboard two cruise ships scheduled to arrive while the bridge was closed.

"Sixty per cent of cruise passengers want to go on the MONA ferry so we have to get them back on to the waterfront strip as quickly as possible."

Ald Christie said council was investigating the possibility of reopening car access to Davey St from Hunter St during the closure.

Council will also put on extra shuttle buses to cart cruise passengers to the visitor information centre on Davey St.

Destination Southern Tasmania chief executive Ben Targett said it would have been better if the repair works were carried out in quieter winter months.

"It isn't the end of the world, but it's going to require some thought about how people are mass-moved and it requires some practical implementation," he said.

A TasPorts spokeswoman said factors considered when setting the bridge repair dates included the scheduling of local events, the near-end of the cruise ship season, forecast dry weather, contractor availability and the rate of deterioration of the infrastructure.

She said Tasports was considering measures such as onsite signage and maps with alternate routes.

"However, there is little room to delay the works due to operational importance, community value and current deterioration rate of the infrastructure.

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