The Tasman Bridge is one of the busiest transport links in the state, connecting thousands of people to Hobart every day and welcoming visitors to our capital city.
The project will strengthen the bridge, increase safety, and improve active transport connections between the eastern and western shores.
Planned improvements include:
The upgrade will also include a new lane use management system. This will be used to change the centre lane direction each morning and afternoon, automating a task previously done manually and improving safety by removing the need for workers to be physically on the road. Upgraded electronic signage will also be used to better respond to traffic and other incidents. This stage of the project will be done first, to help manage traffic during construction.
This project is the next step in the evolution of the Tasman Bridge which began nearly 80 years ago when the eastern and western shores were connected by the construction of the Hobart Bridge in 1943. This was replaced in 1965 by the Tasman Bridge, which has since become one of Tasmania’s most iconic landmarks.
We are currently preparing tender documents for this package of work.
We are doing this first as the new Lane Use Management System will help us better manage traffic and incidents, including during the project’s construction.
A monitoring system will also be installed to provide real-time information about the bridge including traffic and wind levels. This will give us the information we need to develop the detailed design for this complex project.
We are currently continuing the design and planning work for this stage. Data from the real-time monitoring from phase one of the project will help us finalise the design.
This stage of work will go through an ‘Early Contractor Involvement’ design and procurement process, where we will work collaboratively with tenderers.
We recently used this type of tender process successfully for the Bridgewater Bridge.
The first phase of community consultation on the Tasman Bridge Pathways Upgrade project was completed on Tuesday, 19 July 2022. You can view the feedback on the project's Social Pinpoint page.
We published the findings in the Tasman Bridge Pathways Upgrade Consultation and Feedback Summary Report (PDF file).
The Tasman Bridge is being upgraded to increase its safety to provide better access for cyclists and pedestrians.
The upgrade will include:
A lane use management system automates the switchover of the central lane of the bridge. This will improve flexibility in managing traffic during incidents and construction. It will also improve safety for road users and bridge workers, by removing the need for field crews to be physically on the road to move bollards to switch the central lane.
Yes. Currently the Tasman Bridge’s paths are only about one metre wide. The upgrade will provide a 3.5 m shared path on each side of the bridge and improve connection to the existing path network on the eastern and western shores.
There will also be higher barriers on both sides of the path and the new path is further away from traffic. The new barriers should help reduce the impact of wind and path lighting will also be upgraded to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety at night.
The Tasman Bridge is designed for five lanes of traffic. To securely add the new pathways and higher barriers, which will increase wind loading, the bridge will need to be strengthened. This will also help futureproof the bridge if traffic volumes increase.
Funding for the upgrade is a joint Australian and Tasmanian Government initiative with both governments committing $65 million for a total of $130 million.
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, seek help and support from:
In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
If you would like to find out more information and you have accessibility requirements, please contact the project team on the email below.
You can find out more about Transport Services' commitment to accessibility on our website here: https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/accessibility
If you have any questions, please contact the project team at tasmanbridgepathways@stategrowth.tas.gov.au.
