Fremantle Traffic Bridge replacement – last day to have your say

31 January 2024

Tomorrow (Feb 1) is the last day to get your submission in on the Fremantle Traffic Bridge

We can all agree the latest design is a better-looking bridge. Potentially the iconic bridge that the Fremantle community has called for over the last decade.

The concerns that, in my view, remain include:

1. The complete loss of the state heritage-listed timber bridge. Not enough effort has been made to incorporate this important piece of WA’s heritage into the design thinking throughout this project. It could have and should have been retained at least in part.
2. The closure of the crossing to cars for a year. Main Roads have previously told the City of Fremantle that closing the old bridge for an extended period will have a serious and detrimental impact on the road network – and I would add on Fremantle CBD businesses too.
3. The failure to adequately cater for pedestrians and cyclists. Not only will pedestrians and cyclists be unable to use this bridge for more than two years, but the competition of the project will no longer see the PSP extended to Fremantle. This will remain unresolved and fragmented.

The first two of the above concerns be addressed if the new bridge was moved slightly to the West. This move West can now be more easily achieved because the dedicated freight rail line has been removed from this stage of the project.

While I understand there may be technical reasons why this may not be easy or perhaps possible, these are not clear from the public project documentation, nor have they been made clear to the Fremantle community.

A further advantage of moving the new bridge slightly West is that it would enable a bigger forecourt for the Navy Store, which was one of the few good parts of the earlier plan.

If this moving of the bridge to the West cannot happen then the WA State Government should:

1. Transparently show the traffic modelling that underpins this preferred location of the new bridge. How will the 25,000 cars a day that currently use it each day travel south to Fremantle and beyond?
2. Be prepared to compensate Fremantle Businesses who I expect will be hugely impacted by greatly reduced access to Fremantle from the north for over a year. This placement of the bridge is a clear choice and Fremantle businesses should not be made to wear the cost.

Finally, the intersection of Queen Victoria Street and Canning Hwy should be reduced in footprint.  Canning Hwy from Queen Victoria Street to Stirling Hwy should be reduced to one lane in each direction. Main Roads have previously said that traffic numbers can enable this. Remembering that they planned to do this AND delete Beach Street in the previous iteration of the project. Now is an opportunity to put these roads on a diet and reduce their footprint.

If you haven’t already have your say today.

Development Application – Fremantle Traffic Bridge replacement, Fremantle – WA DPLH – Citizen Space

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