Finishing bridge is not a walkover
THE delayed completion of the University of Tasmania’s $ 5m new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Launceston has been blamed on the installation of its foundations taking longer than expected.
The bridge across the North Esk River, which is part of the university’s Northern Transformation project and will connect its Inveresk campus to the CBD, was supposed to be finished by the end of last year.
But pictures of the bridge taken on Wednesday show a significant amount of scaf
folding and fencing around the structure.
A University of Tasmania spokesman said building bridges could be a complex task.
“The installation of the bridge’s foundations at the bottom of the North Esk took longer than initially planned,’’ he said.
“Local specialist firm BridgePro used divers to complete this key stage of the project. We are in the final stages of the project and expect the bridge to be finished by the end of January.”
The project, which was cofunded by UTAS and the state
and federal governments and occupies council land, was approved by Launceston City Council in November 2019.
The bridge was built to cross the river from the existing viewing platform on the northern levee adjacent to the Inveresk student accommodation to the southern bank south- west of the Scotch Oakburn College Rowing Club and extending into Boland St road reserve.
“This will be an important community asset, owned by the City of Launceston once complete, allowing people to walk and cycle easily between the city and the Inveresk Pre
cinct,’’ the UTAS spokesman said. Works started in March on the bridge, which was included in the list of projects under the Launceston City Deal. The $ 300m Northern Transformation program is a partnership between UTAS, TasTAFE and three levels of government and includes new campuses at Inveresk and at West Park in Burnie.
The West Park campus is expected to be complete by the end of 2021 along with the first stage of the Inveresk precinct, which is expected to be complete in its entirety by 2024.