The brand new $786 million Bridgewater Bridge has been targeted by hoons, less than 30 hours after it opened to traffic.
Police are investigating an incident of reckless driving that occurred around 1:15am Tuesday in the northbound lanes of the bridge.
Video footage posted on Snapchat and subsequently shared with Pulse shows a vehicle performing multiple burnouts in a single location while traffic continued to flow in the opposite direction.
The person who filmed the dangerous driving decorated the video with celebratory party popper emojis.
Tasmania Police say they are working with the Department of State Growth to examine traffic camera footage from the area to identify those responsible for the hooning incident.
“Hooning – including street racing, burnouts, and other dangerous driving behaviour – places innocent road users at serious risk,” a police spokesperson told Pulse.
“These actions are not only illegal but demonstrate a complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of others.”
Authorities expressed growing frustration at the “selfish and reckless actions” of drivers engaging in such behaviour.
“The reality is simple. Sooner or later, someone will get seriously hurt or killed. And when that happens, the responsibility will rest solely with those who made the decision to break the law,” the spokesperson added.
Speaking to Pulse, a State Growth spokesperson said there was no identifiable damage to the bridge following the incident, but described the behaviour as “incredibly dangerous and completely unacceptable”.
Police Minister Felix Ellis said he was “disgusted” after seeing the incident on Pulse.
“We’ve seen too many idiots doing the wrong thing on our roads and encouraging others on social media – it’s dangerous, it’s reckless, and it’s not good enough,” he told Pulse.
“I want to be crystal clear – this will not fly. Not on the Bridgewater Bridge, not in Launceston, not in Devonport, not in Tasmania.”
“Our strong new anti-hooning laws are moving through the Parliament, and I look forward to the support of members to progress this Bill and stamp out this behaviour.”
Hooning offences carry severe penalties in Tasmania, including fines of up to $8,080, imprisonment for up to six months, and vehicle confiscation.
Police have urged the public to assist with the investigation, encouraging anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact police on 131 444 or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
Footage of dangerous driving can also be uploaded via the evidence portal on the Tasmania Police website.
The new Bridgewater Bridge opened to traffic around 8pm on Sunday night, after nearly three years of construction and years of planning.
