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Wooden Traffic Bridge
16 March 2022: Update on Fremantle Society Film: Tall Timbers
Fremantle Society Film Release
We have a free film for you, about the Fremantle Traffic Bridge. The film is good, and it's not too long.
The Fremantle Traffic Bridge is the heritage gateway into our heritage town. It is heritage listed at the highest State level - level 1a (of "exceptional significance").
But, Main Roads intend to demolish this bridge, the longest wooden one in the State.
Main Roads have just ruined another gateway into Fremantle - the utterly unsightly new High Street/Stirling Highway intersection - which is a disgrace.
For almost 6 months, the Fremantle Society President and a wide cast of actors, TAFE students and staff, editors, drone experts, and a remarkable director who wishes to remain nameless, have worked to produce a short 5 minute film to tell the story of why the bridge needs to stay, for, among other things, repurposing as a New York style High Line pedestrian and cyclist connection between North Fremantle and Fremantle.
The work needed to complete the film has been endless, but the community spirit and support for the bridge from such a wide spectrum of the community has been gratifying.
The photo above shows a dolphin turning up to check out the filming. The dolphin even breached totally out of the water in an epic demonstration of support, but the film crew were distracted filming the actors and missed that action.
In conjunction with the Save the Bridge Alliance, the film will be put out to as wide an audience as possible. You will be sent an invitation next week to the film launch and you are asked to support this issue as strongly as you can, to as many influential people as possible, as time is running out.
Fremantle Society 50th Commemoration T Shirt
A limited number of T shirts printed on organic cotton and designed by Fremantle's own Blue Lawn Design promote the bridge and are available at Blue Lawn's normal retail price of $55 for a few lucky people who want a souvenir of the Society's 50th.
Contact us at the email below with your size and address.
T shirts can be collected at the launch or posted for $10.
John Dowson
President
The Fremantle Society
0409 223622
John.dowson@yahoo.com
dolphin photo by John Dowson
2 March 2023: Has Main Roads Lied Again?
The screening of Tall Timbers actually took place Sunday 1 May 2022, as shown above. Photo from Facebook, possibly taken by Mark Naglazas (edited).
Web log entries by the Fremantle Society
3 August 2021: You Have Been Fooled
1 August 2021: Call to Arms (and legs) Monday 2 August at 10.30am North side of traffic bridge
[date not recorded]
New York Style High Line Bridge on Iconic Maritime Trail?
Fremantle Society Vision, or Fremantle Council Usual Disinterest in Heritage?
A fresh group of visionaries, including former Premier Carmen Lawrence, has joined the Fremantle Society to campaign for the retention and repurposing of the level 1a heritage-listed Fremantle Traffic Bridge.
Citing the hugely successful New York High Line Bridge project, a visionary scheme is being drawn up that shows how an iconic heritage river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists could not only be a great human connector into a world famous heritage town like Fremantle, but a key and interesting part of a Maritime Trail stretching from Woodman Point to Cottesloe.
The two pages above are only a rough draft and your ideas and feedback are welcome to: john.dowson@yahoo.com
ASTONISHING COUNCIL VOTE TO HAVE BRIDGE DEMOLISHED
While Mayor Logan Howlett of Cockburn favours the ideas put forward above, Fremantle's acting mayor Sullivan led Fremantle Council last week to NOT ONLY VOTE TO SUPPORT DEMOLITION OF THE BRIDGE, BUT VOTED IT BE DONE "AS A MATTER OF URGENCY".
Such corporate vandalism from Fremantle Council is astonishing.
It is inexplicable, given the government has yet to even begin discussions on the future of Fremantle as announced recently.
John Dowson
President
The Fremantle Society
0409 223633
30 May 2021 [link not made]
Fremantle Society Option: Keep the Heritage Bridge Till Traffic Links Sorted
Save Our Bridge
Main Roads have put out four options as above for you to comment on by 1 June.
None of them is good enough.
None of them addresses serious traffic link issues in the North Fremantle area.
None of them protects the heritage listed traffic bridge.
In France, in 2017, the French decided to look after one of their heritage icons, the Eiffel Tower, which like the wooden Fremantle Traffic Bridge, was only supposed to be "temporary". They decided to allocate $500 million to renovate and really look after it.
In contrast, the WA State Government has walked away from most of their obligations in Fremantle to the heritage properties they own, by either selling them, or as in this case, by proposing to demolish the traffic bridge, the longest wooden traffic bridge in WA and an icon of the timber industry and the thousands who worked in it.
There is no need and no rush to build a new traffic bridge at this time, because the traffic numbers over the bridge have actually DECLINED from 28,000 in 2006 to 24,000 now, and are only projected to increase to 30,000 in 2041, an increase of 2,000 vehicles a year after a period of 35 years!
The Fremantle Society wants to see the level 1a ("Exceptional significance") wooden traffic bridge maintained until the government has worked out how to fix the Curtin Avenue and North Fremantle Town Centre traffic issues, to give North Fremantle back its amenity. In the meantime trucks and heavy traffic should be banned from the wooden bridge. With heavy traffic off the bridge, its life span is cheaper to extend and well within Main Road's budget.
There is also no sense in building an additional rail freight line as proposed if the government is intending to move the port by 2031.
Ideally, the Fremantle Society wants to see the wooden bridge kept even if a new one is built, to be used by pedestrians and cyclists. But at the very least the government should show a little savour faire and respect our heritage.
John Dowson
President
The Fremantle Society
0409 223622
P.S. Monday 6pm at Tannock Hall in Cliff Street, Design Freo has a discussion night on the bridge issues, but, like the Fremantle Network, they have excluded the Fremantle Society, and are not pursuing the retention of the heritage listed bridge.
See also: Mains Road WA page for Swan River Crossings Fremantle.
20 March 2021: Save The Longest Wooden Bridge in Western Australia - Iconic Entrance to Fremantle
17 March 2021: SOB (Save Our Bridge), SOP (Save Our Port), and SOQ (Save Our Victoria Quay)
3 November 2020: Two Key Issues: The Bridge and Kings Square
26 October 2020: Get out your pencil and design a new bridge
3 October 2020: SOB SOB (Save our Bridge) and SOS SOS (Save our Square)
1 October 2020: The Port, the Quay and the Bridge
17 September 2020: SOB (Save Our Bridge), SOP (Save Our Port), SOQ (Save Our Victoria Quay)
10 September 2020: Deep Concern for River Crossing Shown by Attendees at Town Hall Meeting
20 August 2020: The Fremantle Bridge is One of Many Urgent Issues
11 August 2020: This Bridge Only Has a Future if You Fight for It [Wooden Traffic Bridge]
[date not recorded]
Fremantle community wants new bridge involvement
Fremantle Council meeting agenda item, 24 June 2020, at the initiative of Mayor Brad Pettitt. The City:
1. Welcomes the Federal and State funding commitment of $230m for the Swan River Crossing project, a project that will see major infrastructure delivered that will have an asset life in excess of 100 years;
2. Adopts the following principles to assist with the City’s analysis and feedback to Government as the project unfolds and develops:
1. PLANNING – That the State Government provides clarity around how this project supports the long-term strategic planning scenarios for the region and how transport planning is fully integrated within this, and specifically how options will address:
• the recommendations of the Westport Taskforce in relation to the future of the Inner Harbour of Fremantle Port;
• land use, traffic, freight and passenger rail planning options for the areas on the north and south of the proposed new crossing;2. ALIGNMENT & CONNECTIONS – That the new bridge alignment(s) are optimised in terms of:
• long-term planning scenarios;
• uninterrupted flow / connectivity of the state’s Principle Shared Path (PSP) to Fremantle and North Fremantle Rail Stations.
• low-speed cycling and pedestrian connectivity and amenity;
• cultural heritage and place-making, in particular, impact on Fremantle Traffic Bridge.3. DESIGN – That the Swan River Crossing demonstrates excellence in design – delivering infrastructure through a multi-discipline design process that celebrates contemporary bridge design and creates a memorable gateway experience and a place for people.
4. HERITAGE – That a significant portion of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge is preserved at both ends – especially on the southern end – and adapted in a manner that:
• retains pedestrian and cycling functions on its top deck;
• retains a section over Beach Street, including its abutment and architectural embellishments;
• is activated, connected and generates a destination for people on the foreshore;
• remains an asset of the State Government.5. CULTURE – That the Aboriginal significance of this rivercrossing/ location is clearly understood, respected and interpreted in the design and deliverables. This could be a major component of the % for Art program associated with this project.
6. PUBLIC REALM & PLACE – That all public realm either created or modified by this project is safe, attractive, connected and inviting – with the potential to be extended and further connected with future riverside enhancements and developments – specifically, that increased curtilage is created in front of the Naval Stores building on Canning Highway to assist with activating this building and connection to foreshore.
3. Requests that MRWA commence community engagement as soon as possible, and that this engagement process includes a full and transparent evaluation of design options and bridge alignments that respond to the principles noted above;
4. Determines a final position on the various aspects of the Swan River Crossing in light of the comments and results that arise during the community engagement process.
25 May 2020
A Bridge Too Far?
The Fremantle Society last week broke the news that Main Roads are about to launch plans for a new bridge over the Swan River at Fremantle. We noted that over the years there has been, and still is, a great deal of support for the current heritage-listed bridge, and last week the Fremantle Society resolved that the current bridge should be preserved at all costs. We do not want Fremantle Council caving in from their previous strong support for the WHOLE timber bridge, nor do we want Main Roads saying that they cannot afford to keep and maintain it.
We asked for your ideas and memories of the current bridge, but all we got was static about 5G causing the virus.
President John Dowson provides a virus free sketch (above) made when he was in primary school, and there must be plenty of people out there who also have a story to share .
Agnieshka Kiera, Fremantle Council Heritage Architect for 25 years, lets rip with her comments as below:
The historic Fremantle bridge has to stay. Not only for the reason of its heritage significance and, being listed on State Heritage, planning and compliance reasons. It should also stay for its greater importance to the city as the strategic urban feature and gateway to Fremantle, as follows:
since its construction the bridge has provided the vital pedestrian (and traffic) connection, not only between Fremantle and Perth but equally importantly between Fremantle and North Fremantle historic town centre;
while the main vehicular traffic connection to Perth has been taken over by the Stirling Bridge, the much-reduced traffic using the historic bridge has helped to keep the North Fremantle’s historic centre accessible and to date a viable local hub of commercial and social activity;the bridge acts as an important entry point and gateway to Fremantle: on the approach to Fremantle by the bridge, the closed vista of Cantonment Hill and the Signal Station, the Fremantle Port to the right and Swan River to the left, all the iconic urban features and Fremantle icons, create an exceptional landscape setting, reinforcing the city’s identity as the historic landmark of Western Australia;
the proposed bridge could potentially relieve the historic bridge of the vehicular traffic altogether and let it act as the vital pedestrian/cyclist link with Fremantle proper. There are numerous very successful examples around the world of saving the historic bridges from demolition. And while building new bridges to take on the modern essential role of carrying the vehicular traffic, many cities conserved the old bridges utilising them for the ancillary (mainly pedestrian) purposes. The most famous examples include the Burt Bridge in San Francisco, the Brooklyn Bridge on New York’s East River, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Pont du Gard in France, Chenguyang Inmud and Rain Bridge in China etc. Each of them was replaced by a new bridge while being preserved for new functions. The same could be done in Fremantle, as freeing the Fremantle Bridge from vehicular traffic would facilitate its proper restoration as the pedestrian/cyclist bridge;
However, the plan in Brad Pettitt’s blog doesn’t show where the new bridge’s roadway goes. Would it go through the North Fremantle old centre? It looks very likely. Would this result in some massive demolitions of the heritage buildings on its way? That would be the death not only to the old bridge but to the North Fremantle historic centre as well. The Fremantle bridge’s traditional role as a gateway and the significant connection between North Fremantle and Fremantle proper via Queen Victoria Street would be destroyed. That is a devastating prospect and should be stopped.
In addition, I would like to clarify the broader issue regarding the increase in antisocial behaviour, theft and generally a major degradation to the Fremantle social fabric and economic viability.
The decade-long push to abandon the previously measured and harmonious development of the city with heritage as its driver (as evident in the West End, Wray Avenue precinct, South Fremantle), and to replace it with this major disruption by the out-of-scale, developer-driven, massive, inconsiderate, badly-planned, badly-designed and expensive developments in the heart of the city is, in my opinion, the main cause of the increase in crime in the city.
Any major change is disruptive. The long term businesses lose confidence in the strategic prospects. As the disruption continues, the community at large starts to lose the commitment to the city and each other (remember what has happened to Fremantle Markets? Fremantle Police? Fremantle Hospital?); thousands of local investors and businesses begin to feel uncertain about the future and where Fremantle is going; the loyalty and ethical behaviour towards the city and each other declines, and the ‘undesirables’ of all kinds begin to fill up the void.
They feel encouraged by the lack of social cohesion to move in and began to steal, grab and, generally make the city environment unsafe.
File:Freotopia society .. bridges img sullivanbridgemap.jpg
This map, supplied to the Fremantle Society Facebook page 5 June 2020 by Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan, contains a set of proposals for the replacement of the present Traffic Bridge, new train lines, and a realignment of the truck route to avoid the centre of North Fremantle.
Main Roads plans
File:Freotopia society .. bridges img bridgemainroads.jpg
File:Freotopia society .. bridges img bridge7.jpg
Main Roads plans shows that the new bridge will be just a little to the east of the wooden one, will align with the same main road through North Fremantle, and will run into the same cliff face as the existing one on the Fremantle side, requiring road traffic to turn abruptly left or right as at present, in front of the 'heritage' shed.
A token stub of the wooden bridge will be retained and will probably have yet another cafe/bar on it.
Information about the project, and a much larger copy of the plan are available on a page on the Main Roads website.
20 May 2020: Bridge of Broken Promises
Main Roads has $130 million available for a new Fremantle bridge and soon will announce their plans.
But will we get a bridge of broken promises like we did 15 years ago when, ahead of the State Election, Planning Minister Alannah MacTiernan promised to save the old traffic bridge, and ditched that after winning the election on the grounds of cost? Alannah is still a hard working, dynamic politician, but has much to answer for in Fremantle, having denied community and council opposition against high rise ING on Victoria Quay, handed the Royal George Hotel to the National Trust without consulting East Fremantle Council (look at that mess now), and ditched her promise about our bridge.
The community and Fremantle Council have made their views known repeatedly – keep the existing bridge, whether we get a new one or not.
North Fremantle Cr Thompson (2005): “Extension of the life of the current bridge should be the first priority.”
North Fremantle Convenor Gerry MacGill (2005): ” Main Roads has some of the country’s best timber conservation specialists.”
CEO of National Trust Tom Perrigo (2008): “The bridge is sound and shouldn’t be touched.”
[photos] The images above show the opening program for the current bridge in 1939. Because it was thought the Japanese might bomb Fremantle, the previous bridge as seen on the right in the two photographs was kept (until 1949). In fact Fremantle also had two traffic bridges back in 1898 when a second bridge was built alongside the then existing 1866 bridge, and the two co-existed for some years.
Next month Main Roads will propose a new bridge, leaving the current one in place until the new one is built. Then, for ” cost and safety” reasons, Main Roads will want to demolish the current timber bridge. The Fremantle Society at its recent meeting voted that: “The existing heritage listed Fremantle Traffic Bridge must be kept.”
We are yet to see what Main Roads will propose for a new bridge. Will we get something iconic for that large sum of money ($130 million, a lot more than the $30 million proposed in 2005), or a dreary concrete bridge like so many others? Main Roads has a poor reputation with unsightly urban design, as any intersection in WA will attest, and the damage to the heritage values and aesthetics of the current bridge railings by Main Roads some years ago needs to be undone.
The Fremantle Traffic Bridge has the highest State heritage rating, because it is of significance. If there is no future for trucks and vehicles on the bridge, it can continue to exist for pedestrians and cyclists.
As former Fremantle Council Heritage Architect, and current Fremantle Society Committee member Agnieshka Kiera said in 2005: “The major guiding principle of conservation is to extend the economic life of a significant place for as long as possible.”
No more broken promises.
John Dowson
President
The Fremantle Society
0409223622
John.dowson@yahoo.com
images: Dowson collection
References and Links
Fremantle bridges - page on this site.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 25 May, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/society/campaign/bridge.html (it was last updated on 10 May, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.