The promised $130m upgrades to Hobart’s Tasman Bridge could take more than three years to complete, according to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson.
The upgrades, which were first announced in October 2020, rely on 50/50 funding from the federal government – which has been held up due to the project currently being under review.
“That money is tied up in Canberra, I want to see it released and I want to see the improvements to the Tasman Bridge … which will extend the life of the bridge to 2070,” Ferguson said.
The project will involve strengthening the bridge’s pylons, widening pathways to improve pedestrian and cycling access and upgrading feature lighting and safety barriers.
“We’re ready to go with the restrengthening project and the active pathways is an important one for us, it’s a really complex job that will require additional investments from state and federal government,” Ferguson said.
“But unfortunately, that’s one of the projects that the Australian government have tied up in their ‘so-called 90-day review’ that’s taken a year.”
Ferguson says the upgrade will be a ‘multi-year project’, the “first priority” of which would be to restrengthen the bridge “because you cannot put an active pathway on the side of the bridge without some greater strengthening”.
“The exisiting infrastructure is perfectly safe, but to add extra infrastructure you’d have to strengthen the bridge first.”
The bridge upgrade is part of the state government’s draft Keeping Hobart Moving strategy, which outlines more than 20 projects to improve the city’s transport network.
The strategy focuses on improving public transport, with plans for more ferries and buses, particularly through the rapid bus network.
The government aims to get 10% of people using public transport by 2030, up from the current 6.4%.
Consultation on the draft strategy is open until early next year.
