Published on Thursday, 18 March 2021 at 11:12:08 AM
Planning and development are continuing on the Swan River Crossings project, which will see the replacement of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge and construction of a new rail bridge.
The Fremantle Bridges Alliance will further investigate options to build between the existing road and rail bridges before a final bridge location is determined. The Alliance will also continue community and stakeholder consultation throughout project development to seek input into other key project outcomes, including landscape and urban design elements, heritage interpretation, and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.
From 22 March 2021, Main Roads will be undertaking geotechnical investigations on both the east and west sides of the existing Fremantle Traffic Bridge to cater for all bridge alignment options being investigated to help inform and guide the design of the bridge.
You will notice a jack-up barge in the river similar to the barge pictured. This will move about every 4 days to various locations in the river near the bridges. The works require drilling boreholes up to 75 metres deep into the riverbed to retrieve soil samples. This drilling may cause some minimal ground vibration and low-level noise in the immediate surrounding area.
Works will be undertaken during daylight hours and will continue to the end of June 2021. Main Roads advise they will seek to minimise disruption for all river users, and minimise operations during important events.
Navigational channels will remain open.
Spotter vessels will be present during the barge movements, and if the barge is in proximity of navigational channels. The spotter vessels will be clearly marked and monitoring VHF Channels 16 (emergency channel) using VHF channel 9 as a working frequency for ship to ship communications. All vessels navigating through the bridges are encouraged to contact the spotter vessel prior to approaching the bridges.
Call Sign – Spotter Vessel 1 – upstream; Spotter Vessel 2 – downstream.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while this project is being progressed.
For further information please visit Main Roads Swan River Crossings or contact 138 138.
Back to All News