City welcomes release of bridge plans

The City of Fremantle has welcomed the release of final concept plans for the Swan River Crossings project and is looking forward to the opportunity for the community to see what is proposed.

Following the State Government’s release of the plans, Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said it was exciting to get to the next stage of the project.

Mayor Fitzhardinge said the City had been working closely with the project team for almost a year to refine the alignment and concept design.

“We didn’t want to see an alignment that came too close to houses in North Fremantle or created an even bigger intersection in front of the heritage Naval Store. By working closely with the Bridge Alliance I think we’ve managed to find a creative solution that really delivers for Freo,” Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

The concept plan features a direct connection into the Fremantle via Queen Victoria Street and realigning Canning Highway to travel under the new traffic bridge, creating new connections for road, rail, boat and path users. 

“I think people might be a bit surprised by the new road alignment—but when they take some time to consider it, I hope they’ll appreciate that it has some real positives,” Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

“In particular, the opportunity to create a new parkland stretching down from Cantonment Hill and the Naval Store towards the river is fantastic. People love to recreate around the foreshore and this will significantly increase their opportunity to do so.

“The changes to the road network also have some major benefits in terms of keeping cars moving smoothly, whilst also creating a more friendly pedestrian and cycle environment.

“The new alignment also looks to the future by creating direct access to the South Quay.

“As we know, people love to walk and ride around the river, and Fremantle more generally, and the generous footpath and Principal Shared Path over the bridge is a vital connection.

“Our next task is to continue working with the WA Government to complete the design for the PSP connection into Fremantle.” 

To view the concept plans, visit the Main Roads website here.

Above photo: Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge with Premier Mark McGowan, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti and Fremantle MP Josh Wilson at the Swan River Crossing concept plans launch.