New milestone for WA's Swan River Crossings project -

New milestone for WA’s Swan River Crossings project

WA - project - Swan River - Community — Image courtesy of Main Roads Western Australia.

The preferred alignment for the $230 million Swan River Crossings in Western Australia’s port city of Fremantle has been unveiled.

The project will see the replacement of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge across the Swan River and construction of a new rail bridge. to increase connectivity for communities north and south of the river.

The project will also include new pedestrian and cyclists’ facilities.

More than 1000 people from the community have had their say on the project, in the forms of webinars, an online portal and pop-up sessions.

The Swan River Crossings Project will replace the current Fremantle Traffic Bridge, which is 83 years old, and increase passenger and freight rail capacity, and improve safety for road and river users.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said the project would support more than 1,400 local jobs after construction kicks off in 2022.

“The Fremantle Traffic Bridge is an iconic and popular structure, having been a staple in the Fremantle community for the past 83 years,” he said.

Western Australia Minister for Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the project will now enter the development and design phases.

“This is a significant project that has been on the agenda for decades, as there are ongoing significant maintenance costs with the existing bridge and a need to replace the current bridge with a new structure,” she said.

The $230 million project is being jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments, with each contributing $115 million.

The preferred alignment will now be progressed through to development and design, while the next phase of community consultation will include a series of forums and discussions on priorities relating to heritage interpretation and connectivity for pedestrian and cycling paths.