Fremantle Traffic Bridge Closure: State Government Vows to Minimise 12-Month Chaos
The State Government has once again pledged that everything possible is being done to minimise the expected chaos on Perth's roads when the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closes for a full year starting this Sunday. Transport Minister Rita Saffioti remains adamant that the $430 million upgrade project will be completed within the scheduled 12-month timeframe, expressing her "very confident" stance that motorists will be back on the vital Swan River crossing by early 2027.
Major Disruption for Daily Commuters
The bridge, which carries approximately 24,000 vehicles every day, will officially shut down for extensive repairs and upgrades. The project aims to deliver significant improvements, including:
- Construction of two lanes in each direction
- Wider dedicated bike paths for cyclists
- Higher clearance to accommodate watercraft passing beneath
However, the closure is set to create substantial traffic headaches across key arterial routes. Early modelling indicates that what is normally a five-minute drive between North and South Fremantle could blow out to closer to half an hour during peak periods. The disruption is expected to ripple through the Stirling Highway, Canning Highway, and Stirling Bridge corridors, affecting thousands of daily commuters.
Business and Community Concerns Mount
Local business owners are bracing for a major dip in visitor numbers to the Fremantle city centre, while residents in nearby suburbs express concerns about increased traffic infiltrating normally quiet residential streets. Fremantle Mayor Ben Lawver acknowledged that while communication from the State Government has been good, "not everything had been implemented" to address local concerns.
"One of the things that we've asked State Government for, that we think is absolutely reasonable, is to kind of let us deal with things as they pop up quickly," Mayor Lawver stated. "So if we need to do local road interventions or build out some bicycle infrastructure on roads, or anything like that."
Government Measures to Ease Congestion Pain
To accommodate the bridge closure, the Cook Government has announced a series of measures designed to ease congestion, including:
- Modifications to 20 key intersections to improve traffic flow
- Deployment of two on-site traffic accident response teams
- Additional parking at Fremantle Station
- Extra public transport services during peak periods
- A fare-free zone along sections of South Terrace
Commuters are being strongly encouraged to consider public transport alternatives, with peak-time train riders now permitted to take their bicycles on trains between Fremantle and North Fremantle stations.
Confidence in Complex Bridge Design
Minister Saffioti, who apologised for the inevitable disruption caused by the works, emphasised that the 86-year-old structure required urgent development. She pointed to significant preparatory work already completed, drawing parallels with the Armadale rail line project.
"I'm very confident, as you can see a lot of work's been done," the Transport Minister explained. "Similar to the Armadale rail line, where we only shut the existing infrastructure when we're confident that we can progress and build a new one."
Saffioti detailed the progress made, noting that most cables are already up, edge beams are nearly complete, and towers have reached their ultimate height. She defended the complex bridge design chosen for the project, stating it allowed for maximum off-site construction to potentially accelerate the timeline.
Fremantle Remains Open for Business
Fremantle MP and Minister Simone McGurk joined Saffioti in delivering a clear message to the community: "Fremantle remains open for business." She highlighted the importance of supporting local small businesses that rely on both weekday and weekend visitors to the port city.
"It's been an important support that we've been trying to put in place for small businesses in particular that rely on people coming into Fremantle during the week, but also, importantly, on the weekend," McGurk stated. "We don't want people to stop coming into Fremantle, there's a lot to offer."
This sentiment was strongly echoed by Fremantle Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chrissie Maus, who urged Perth residents to continue supporting the iconic suburb despite the temporary inconvenience.
"I really believe in Perth to get behind Freo, it's the most incredible place, the sand the salt, the sweat," Maus passionately declared. "Everything here in Freo is so special and we need everyone to come in and not have ten minutes taken off their drive and decide they're never coming to Freo."
Political Pressure on Government Delivery
Shadow transport minister Steve Martin placed the pressure squarely on the State Government to manage the closure effectively, acknowledging that some disruption was inevitable during such a major infrastructure project.
"We understand there will be disruption while this bridge is built," Martin conceded. "The test for the Minister is whether locals, commuters and impacted businesses feel everything possible has been done to mitigate the impacts."
As the Sunday closure date approaches, all eyes remain on the State Government's ability to deliver on its promises while minimising the daily disruption for Perth commuters and Fremantle businesses throughout the challenging 12-month construction period.
