The Western Australian Government has announced construction of the Lloyd Street Bridge in Midland is expected to begin before the end of the year after an agreement on design principles was reached with local Traditional Owners.
The agreement follows four years of consultation, collaboration, and design investigation to ensure the crossing avoids impact to culturally significant sites, including the Helena River and a seasonal pool located on the bridge’s alignment, said Transport Minister, Rita Saffioti.
The new design features a 180-metre-long bridge, spanning most of the Helena River floodplain, with two sets of supporting piers to be positioned away from culturally sensitive areas.
“The collaboration that has occurred between the State Government and the Traditional Owners on the Lloyd Street Bridge design has been on a scale rarely seen on major infrastructure projects,” said Minister Saffioti.
“Back in 2022, Traditional Owners and other local stakeholders raised significant concerns about the impact of the bridge design on Aboriginal heritage sites and the environment.
“This resulted in the submission of a Section 10 Application to the Federal Government under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.
“The State could have referred the Section 10 Application to the Federal Government for formal determination and continued to build the previous design, against the wishes of the Traditional Owners and other community representatives.
“Instead, our government, Main Roads, and the City of Swan listened, worked with the Traditional Owners to get a better understanding of their concerns and set out to work towards a design the whole community could be proud of.”
The new design also reduces the project’s footprint, reducing the vegetation clearing requirement by around 20%.
The bridge will have two lanes in each direction, as well as paths for pedestrians and cyclists.
With key design principles agreed, the project will proceed to the detailed design stage, accompanied by site investigations and broader stakeholder engagement.
“Over the past four years, the Main Roads project team has investigated various options and sought to incorporate feedback and input from the Traditional Owners,” said Ms Saffioti.
“The agreed design, which will be one of the longest multi-span bridges in the State, is a result of collaborative co-design, and we thank the Traditional Owners and their advisors, the Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association, for working with us to achieve a much better outcome.”
Subject to detailed design progression, construction works could begin around the end of 2026.
The project will be broadened to include the connection of Lloyd Street to the intersection of Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Abernethy Road, completing the long-planned Lloyd Street link between the Great Eastern Highway and the Bypass.
By connecting Lloyd Street and the Great Eastern Highway Bypass, the project will enable future construction of the proposed Roe Highway and Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchange, said the Minister.
The Lloyd Street Bridge project is being delivered by Main Roads on behalf of the City of Swan Council and is co-funded by the State and Federal Governments.
