Early Christmas Gift for Fremantle as New $596 Million Bridge Set to Open Ahead of Schedule

The new Fremantle Traffic Bridge is on track to open before the end of the year, months earlier than originally anticipated, with local residents and businesses reporting that the disruption has been much easier to manage than expected.

The previous 86-year-old wooden structure was shut down in February to make way for the new construction. While the replacement bridge maintains the same number of traffic lanes, it features wider pedestrian walkways and offers higher clearance for boats passing underneath.

Western Australia's Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti announced that although the closure was initially projected to last for a full year, the bridge will now reopen to drivers before the end of the year.

"This is an incredible piece of infrastructure and the progress has been rapid," she said.

"The concrete deck has been completed and now the work really is about finishing the bridge, in particular the roads in and out."

A Half-Million Dollar Project

The joint state and federal government infrastructure project carried an initial estimated cost of $430 million, which was updated to $596 million in the latest state budget. It is the first "extradosed" bridge to be constructed in Australia, featuring a design that combines both cantilevers and cable stay supports.

"We're very proud of what we're delivering and in fact it's an alignment that was supported by the community and it's enabled us not to have significant impacts to the businesses, the residential and the whole traffic movement around here," Ms Saffioti said.

Since the closure, Stirling Bridge has served as the sole river crossing for vehicles on the western side of the Swan River. In response, authorities introduced a series of transport network adjustments, including additional train and bus services, extra free parking bays for SmartRider users, and increased traffic monitoring using CCTV.

Federal Member for Fremantle Josh Wilson commended local residents for adapting well to the challenges of the closure.

"A lot of incredible preparatory work done by the deputy premier and the people here in Western Australia from a transport coordination and public transport and local road modification point of view that meant that we were able to deal with that disruption effectively," he said.

"And I also want to credit the broader community for the way that they've supported local businesses."

Strong Community Support for Local Businesses

For businesses in North Fremantle, an area significantly affected by the detour, community solidarity has been highly beneficial. MJ, who owns and runs a coffee shop in the area, noted that while business initially dropped off, local residents rallied to help.

"We did notice an impact, especially in the first month it [business] dropped significantly but our local community and support from our locals was magnificent; they were coming, bringing their friends; so community here, it's amazing," she said.

MJ also praised the quality of communication from authorities regarding the construction work and noted she looks forward to the reopening, hoping it will increase pedestrian and cyclist traffic past her cafe.

"I just want to thank the community and our customers and everyone from North Fremantle for supporting me and the rest of the business," she said.

Growth in Rail Freight Volume

The Deputy Premier noted that the bridge closure occurred alongside a major increase in freight transported via rail, which reduced the volume of trucks on the road network.

More than a quarter of all shipping containers moving through Fremantle Harbour were transported by rail during 2025–26, marking a new record for Western Australia and the highest proportion of rail freight in the nation.

"As part of the work we undertook before closing the bridge, we worked with logistics companies … on how we can better support them through supporting some extra capacity in their distribution warehouses to get more freight onto rail, so another big win in getting trucks off road," Ms Saffioti said.

She attributed this increase to a rail freight subsidy scheme introduced by the Labor government in 2017, which pays a $50 subsidy per 20-foot equivalent unit of cargo.

An exact date for the reopening has not been officially confirmed, but Ms Saffioti stated it will likely occur before Christmas and will be marked by a celebratory community event.