City welcomes next phase in traffic bridge consultation

The City of Fremantle has welcomed the start of the next phase of community consultation on the options to replace the ageing Fremantle Traffic Bridge.

The state and federal governments have committed matching funding to the $230 million Swan River Crossing project, which has been included on a list of projects to be fast tracked as part of the state government’s COVID-19 economic recovery measures.

In response to community concerns about the proposed alignment of the new bridge, in September last year Fremantle Council called on the government to pause development of the project to enable a proper and meaningful community engagement process.

Fremantle Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan said the state government was to be commended for listening to the community and being willing to explore alternative options.

“The Swan River Crossings project is an exciting and significant opportunity for Fremantle, so it’s important that we get it right,” Cr Sullivan said.

“It’s pleasing that the government and Main Roads have now put forward four potential bridge alignment options, including building between the existing road and rail bridges as proposed in our Freo 2029: Transformational Moves strategy.

“I’d encourage all Fremantle residents to get involved in this next stage of consultation to ensure the end result is bridge that meets the community’s expectations and that we can all be proud of.”

The Swan River Crossings project will deliver a new traffic bridge, a new rail bridge and separated pedestrian and cyclist facilities.

The latest phase in the community consultation on the project began this afternoon with a pop-up event at Fremantle Train Station.

Further details about the project, alignment options and the community engagement can be found on the Swan River Crossings page on the Main Roads WA website.