Overview
- The WA government confirmed on Sunday that the new Fremantle Traffic Bridge is ahead of schedule and is expected to open to traffic before Christmas 2026, with an exact date still to be set.
- Major structural work is finished: all four towers and the concrete deck are complete and crews are now focused on ramps, road connections, barriers, landscaping and terracing.
- The state budget updated the project cost to $596 million, which officials say is split roughly 50–50 between the Western Australian and federal governments.
- The design is Australia’s first extradosed bridge, giving higher river clearance and wider shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists, while four rows of timber from the 1939 bridge will be retained at the northern end.
- Closing the 86‑year‑old timber bridge in February shifted traffic patterns and prompted extra trains, buses and parking; Fremantle Station weekly boardings rose about 20% and rail moved a record share of Fremantle Harbour containers in 2025–26.