Panel approves $280m Freo bridge

The Western Australian Planning Commission has approved a $280 million replacement of the 80-year-old Fremantle Traffic Bridge.

At a meeting this afternoon, the WAPC greenlit the demolition of the existing structure to make way for a 253-metre long, 36-metre high, and 30.5-metre wide bridge connecting North Fremantle to Fremantle.

The proposed bridge, named the Swan River Crossings project, includes four lanes for vehicles, and principal shared paths for cyclists and pedestrians.

Main Roads lodged the development application through the state goverment's Significant Development Assessment Unit pathway, which was launched to expedite shovel-ready projects.

WAPC chairman David Caddy said the replacement bridge would deliver critical transport infrastructure that aligned with the state's sub-regional planning framework.

"The conditions placed on the approval by the commission will ensure that heritage aspects of the 1939 timber bridge – including the entry statement bronze lanterns – can be re-interpreted, and that pedestrian access between the bridge and Derbarl Yerrigan/Swan River banks is improved," he said after the meeting.  

“The bridge represents a major investment in the regional road network and will create significant improvements to the foreshore areas of Derbarl Yerrigan through the removal of the old bridge pylons and creation of additional recreational areas."

The state government unveiled revised bridge designs in November, after receiving community feedback over the original proposal that was made public in August.

Initial changes to the existing road layout were dropped, following outcry from the Fremantle community.

However, the revised design still attracted some concerns over its impact on heritage value.

Greens MLC and former City of Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said the bridge design was of high-quality but was being delivered in the wrong location.

“It is wrong from a heritage perspective as it does not allow adaptive reuse and unworkable from a traffic management perspective as it is likely to have a severe impact on vehicles accessing the Fremantle CBD,” he wrote to the WAPC.

The Swan River Crossings project is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, contributing $140 million each.

The state government previously announced construction was estimated to start in the second half of 2024 at the earliest.

Construction would close the bridge for up to 12 months.