Bridgewater Bridge#Fourth bridge

The Bridgewater Bridge was among the first bridges constructed in Tasmania after British settlement in 1803, and gave its name to the nearby suburb of Bridgewater. Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur commissioned the construction of the bridge and causeway to connect the Launceston{{spaced endash}} Hobart Trunk Road, linking both Tasmanian towns and providing easier access to farmlands in the interior of Tasmania.

Construction commenced on the bridge in 1829. Operations were supervised by Roderic O'Connor.{{cite AuDB |last=Eldershaw |first=P. R. |title=O'Connor, Roderic (1784–1860) |volume=2 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |year=1967 }} The causeway, which was constructed first, was built by a workforce of 200 convicts who had been sentenced to secondary punishment. These convicts, using nothing but wheelbarrows, shovels and picks and muscle power, shifted {{convert|2|e6t|e6ST|abbr=off}} of soil, stones and clay. The finished causeway stretched {{convert|1.3|km|mi|0}}, although did not span the full width of the Derwent. The original plan apparently called for a viaduct, but this plan was abandoned and the half-built arches were filled in to form the present causeway.

Upon completion of the causeway, a punt operated across the deep, navigable section of the river, but could not cope with traffic demands. To resolve this issue, an Act of Parliament was passed in 1946 to enable construction of a bridge.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8759112 |title=LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. |newspaper=Colonial Times |volume=34 |issue=1856 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=18 August 1846 |accessdate=6 June 2025 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} The accepted design was a timber bridge, was by the firm of architect and former convict James Blackburn.{{cite AuDB |author=Preston, Harley |title=Blackburn, James (1803–1854) |volume=1 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |year=1966 |pages=109-110 |id2=blackburn-james-1789 }} Being a sliding bridge, it could slide back to allow shipping to pass through. Construction started in 1848, and opened to traffic in April 1849.{{cite web|url=https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/HRP.Bridgewater%20Bridge%20Tasmania.Nomination.V4.30%20April%202018.pdf|title=Bridgewater Bridge - Nomination for Engineers Australia Engineering Heritage Recognition|publisher=Engineers Australia|author=Ian D. Cooper|date=April 2018|access-date=6 June 2025}}

In the late 1870s, the Tasmanian Main Line Railway called for modifications to the causeway so they could lay tracks over it. The causeway required widening, and a second bridge was built alongside the first, deviating away at an angle. The northern abutment was about 15 metres away from the road bridge. This bridge featured a swing span opening.{{cite web|url=https://www.tasmaniantimes.com/2020/09/retaining-bridgewater-bridge-for-rail/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210200819/https://www.tasmaniantimes.com/2020/09/retaining-bridgewater-bridge-for-rail/|title=Retaining Bridgewater Bridge for Rail|author=Tony Coen|publisher=Tasmanian Times|date=3 September 2020|access-date=5 June 2025|archive-date=10 December 2020}} Construction commenced in 1869 and it was completed 1874.

On 22 July 1886, a train from the north was passing over the bridge when the engine left the tracks and tipped over, hanging precariously above the water on the edge of the southern end of the swing bridge. {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169157922 |title=Latest Particulars |newspaper=Tasmanian News |issue=829 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=23 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} Two people, fireman William Shaw{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169157923 |title=Serious Railway Disaster – Loss of Life – Miraculous Escape|newspaper=Tasmanian News |issue=829 |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=23 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} and passenger Daniel Turner, died as a result of the accident.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9124878 |title=The Fatal Railway Disaster at Bridgewater |newspaper=The Mercury |volume=XLIX |issue=5,119 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=24 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169158004 |title=The Bridgewater Disaster |newspaper=Tasmanian News |issue=830 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=24 July 1886 |access-date=13 December 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} The driver was injured. The locomotive was salvageable. The cause of the accident was found to be that the rails failed to match properly when the bridge was closed, so the bridge was modified again to solve this problem. The bridge lasted several decades more before being replaced by two swing bridges in the early 1900s, one for the railway, and one for the road traffic. The pivot and the sandstone abutments of the railway bridge are still standing and can be viewed on the left of the present bridge as one travels towards the north.

Both the first and second swing bridges did not run straight off the end of the causeway; rather, they turned slightly to the right. The second swing bridge was left standing when the present lifting bridge was being constructed to prevent traffic stoppages, so the present bridge deviates from the causeway quite appreciably.

{{Infobox bridge

|name = Bridgewater Bridge

|native_name =

|native_name_lang =

|image = Bridgewater Causeway Crop.jpg

|image_upright = 1.5

|caption = Fourth Bridgewater Bridge (1946-2025)

|coordinates =

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|carries = {{AUshield|N|1}} Midland Highway
South Railway Line

|crosses = Derwent River

|locale = Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

|starts = Granton

|ends = Bridgewater

|named_for = Bridgewater

|owner = Department of State Growth

|maint =

|heritage =

|id =

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|preceded =

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|design = Truss bridge with vertical lift

|material = Steel

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|mainspan =

|number_spans =

|piers_in_water = 13

|clearance_below =

|lanes = 2

|num_track = 1

|track_gauge = {{RailGauge|1067mm}}

|designer =

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|begin = 1939

|open = 1946

|inaugurated =

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|closed = 2025

|replaces = Swing punt {{small|({{circa|1900s}}-1946)}}

|replaced_by = Four-lane concrete box girder

|mapframe = no

|extra = }}

{{refimprove section|date=December 2020}}

File:Bridgewater bridge.jpg

File:Bridgewater Bridge from north.jpg

Construction on the steel vertical lift bridge across the Derwent began in 1939.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25623321 |title=Progress of New Bridge at Bridgewater | newspaper=The Mercury |volume=CL |issue=21,309 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=14 March 1939 |access-date=5 January 2021 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}} Construction was interrupted by World War II; {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25915239 |title=Delays in Work | newspaper=The Mercury |volume=CLVI |issue=22,337 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=3 July 1942 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} the bridge opened to road traffic in March 1942, {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69102187 |title=Bridgewater Bridge |newspaper=The Advocate (Australia) |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=5 December 1945 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} with completion of the lifting segment finally completed in early 1946. {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26163477 |title=No Water for Gardens at Franklin | newspaper=The Mercury |volume=CLXIII |issue=23,425 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=3 January 1946 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}} The bridge opened to rail traffic in late 1946.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26361513 |title=First Over New Bridge | newspaper=The Mercury |volume=CLXIV |issue=23,660 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=7 October 1946 |access-date=6 January 2021 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}} It consists of a long concrete bridge that leads off the end of the causeway, and a steel lifting section just before the northern bank of the river. The lifting section is one of only a few remaining in the Southern Hemisphere, and is the largest of its kind remaining in Australia. The bridge was designed to last a century without replacement. A small control house stands on the lifting section. Inside are the switches and locks which operate the bridge.

Until 1984, the Australian Newsprint Mills at Boyer moved all its produce by river. Barges were used to transport paper from the mill to the storage sheds at Pavilion Point at Hobart, and for this reason the bridge was required to open very frequently. Consequently, a bridge-keeper lived on-site and opened and closed the bridge when required. However, when the decision was made to cease river transportation, an on-site keeper was no longer necessary, so bridge openings became less frequent.

In response to vandalism of the house which contains the bridge operating controls, closed-circuit television cameras were installed along the lifting span sometime between 2003 and 2005.

On 30 October 2006 a fault was found in one of the steel cables holding up the two {{convert|170|t|ST|adj=on}} concrete counterweights above the road, forcing the temporary closure of the bridge.Bridgewater bridge problems disrupt rail traffic Tasmanian Rail News issue 233 November 2006 page=3 This closure caused peak hour traffic delays, mainly along the East Derwent Highway, due to traffic being diverted over the Bowen and Tasman bridges. The cables, which were put in place in 1994, were supposed to have a 20-year lifespan, and as they have lasted barely over half that time.

From 2006 until 2010, the lifting segment of the Bridgewater Bridge was out of commission, due to failed maintenance. The State Government spent $14 million to refurbish the bridge and provide it with a further 15 years of life, until a replacement could be built.{{cite web |author=Ogilvie, Rosemary Ann |date=July 2010 |title=Bridgewater: Australia's oldest lift span bridge refurbished |url=http://www.earthmover.com.au/news/2010/july/bridgewater-australia2019s-oldest-lift-span-bridge-refurbished |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321165350/http://www.earthmover.com.au/news/2010/july/bridgewater-australia2019s-oldest-lift-span-bridge-refurbished |archive-date=21 March 2014 |access-date=7 April 2020 |work=The Earthmover and Civil Contractor}} This refurbishment replaced the vandalised control house and its controls and all of the cabling to raise and lower the bridge. Touted as a "major tourist attraction" with expected regular openings for tourist and private vessels to travel between Hobart and {{TAScity|New Norfolk}}, the bridge refurbishment was a failure, only successfully opening a handful of times.

Rail services ceased using the bridge when the South Line was cut back to terminate at the Brighton Transport Hub in June 2014.[https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/end-of-the-line-for-tasrails-last-train-out-of-hobart/news-story/72a4291421212e7ae7e380982a4dc92d End of the line for TasRail’s last train out of Hobart] The Mercury 22 June 2014Hobart closure Tasmanian Rail News issue 255 October 2014 page 2 The bridge received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia in 2018 as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.{{cite web|url=https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/heritage/bridgewater-bridge-hobart-tasmania|title=Bridgewater Bridge, Hobart, Tasmania|publisher=Engineers Australia|access-date=2020-04-27}}

{{Further|Southern Transport Investment Program}}

File:New Bridgewater Bridge under construction.jpg

Between 2001 and 2005, the Australian Government set aside $100 million towards the replacement of the Bridgewater Bridge,{{cite web |author=Blackwood, Fiona |date=7 October 2005 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/tas/content/2005/s1477286.htm |title=Bridgewater Bridge |format=transcript |work=Stateline Tasmania |publisher=ABC Television |location=Australia |access-date=28 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110155341/http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/tas/content/2005/s1477286.htm |archive-date=10 November 2012 |url-status=dead }} soon after the Tasmanian Government decided to build the replacement to the south of the existing bridge. However, after years of inaction the State government has encountered some heritage issues with replacing the bridge and is to be replaced as part of the final stage of the Brighton Bypass and Midland Highway upgrade.

Towards the end of 2010, the State government released plans for a new Derwent River crossing, next to the existing bridge.{{cite web |title=Bridgewater Bridge Replacement Planning Study |date=December 2010 |url=http://www.transport.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/53329/Bridgewater_Bridge_Replacement_Planning_Study.pdf |work=Department of Transport |publisher=Government of Tasmania |access-date=2 January 2011}} The new bridge would carry the Midland Highway and the old bridge will be left open for rail, pedestrian and local traffic. While the Bridgewater Bridge is recognised as being limited in its ability to perform the function of the Midland Highway, it also has important heritage values and is recognised as a landmark in the area.{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0031/56929/bridgewater20bridge20refurbishment.pdf|title=Parliamentary Standing Committee On Public Works - Bridgewater Bridge Refurbishment|date=2009|access-date=2 June 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.895533159569833|title=River Derwent, Tasmania - Bridgewater bridges - past and present|publisher=Fowler, A|date=2011|access-date=2 June 2025}}

In March 2016, Infrastructure Tasmania published its review of a design and cost estimate for the construction of a replacement structure for the existing Bridgewater Bridge, which considered various options for a replacement structure and provided advice as to the most feasible crossing solution. As part of the 2018–19 federal budget, the Australian Government announced a $461 million grant towards the construction of a new Bridgewater Bridge, representing 80 per cent of the expected total construction cost. The Tasmanian Government is expected to contribute $115 million.{{cite web |url=https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/infrastructure_tasmania/bridgewater_bridge_replacement |title=Bridgewater bridge replacement |work=Department of State Growth |publisher=Tasmanian Government |date=March 2016 |access-date=7 April 2020 }} Construction was expected to commence in 2019;{{cite web |url=https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/149877/Review_of_Bridgewater_Bridge_Design_and_Cost_Estimate_-_final.pdf |title=Review of Bridgewater Bridge design and cost estimate |work=Infrastructure Tasmania |publisher=Tasmanian Government |date=March 2016 |access-date=7 April 2020 |page=9 }} however, following independent assessment of the project by Infrastructure Australia in July 2019, the evaluation identified a range of issues, which may add to costs and require further work to address, and recommended that the Tasmanian Government revise its business case. The project was scheduled to start design and approvals in 2019, with the design to be agreed by the end of 2020. Substantive construction was expected to commence in 2022 and completion was targeted in 2024.{{cite web |url=https://infrastructurepipeline.org/project/new-bridgewater-bridge/ |title=New Bridgewater Bridge |publisher=Infrastructure Partnerships Australia |date=11 October 2019 |access-date=7 April 2020 }}

The project scope also included re-configuration of the interchanges at Granton and Bridgewater to provide grade-separated access.

The bridge officially opened to traffic on the evening of 1 June 2025, following a community walk over the bridge earlier that day.{{Cite news |last1=Kaine |first1=Elise |last2=Holding |first2=Genevieve |date=1 June 2025 |title=Most expensive infrastructure project opens to public, PM labels it 'building for Australia's future' |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news%2Ftasmania%2Fmost-expensive-infrastructure-project-opens-to-public-pm-labels-it-building-for-australias-future%2Fnews-story%2F65d700042b9158a3e98b61f717a9aeaf |access-date=1 June 2025 |work=The Mercury}} The first vehicle to cross the bridge was a vintage 1910 Star Roadster, carrying two women, Margaret McMaster and Barbara Jones, who were present at the previous bridge's opening in 1946.

The bridge includes two fixed speed cameras and two electronic variable-message signs.{{cite news|url=https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/complex-rollout-of-new-highway-signs-means-no-live-updates-until-next-year|title='Complex' rollout of new highway signs across Hobart means no live updates until next year|publisher=Pulse Tasmania|date=13 December 2024|access-date=5 June 2025}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Bridgewater Bridge|Bridgewater Bridge (Tasmania, Australia)}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090707105411/http://images.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Search/Search.asp?Keywords=Bridgewater+Bridge&x=13&y=9 State Library of Tasmania Images], historic pictures of the Bridgewater Bridge and Causeway
• [http://www.railtasmania.com/photogal/showimage.php?id=143 RailTasmania], modern picture of the Bridgewater Bridge and Causeway

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|place = River Derwent

|bridge = Bridgewater Bridge

|bridge signs = {{AUshield|N|1}}

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{{Australian railway bridges|state=autocollapse}}

{{Hobart landmarks}}

{{Road infrastructure in Hobart}}

Category:Bridges completed in 2025

Category:Bridges in Hobart

Category:Concrete bridges in Australia

Category:River Derwent (Tasmania)

Category:Road bridges in Tasmania

Category:2025 establishments in Australia