Swan St bridge delayed

Further delays along City Rd and Alexandra Ave can be expected until the end of the year after the State Government revealed it had been following inaccurate plans for the upgrade of the Swan St Bridge.

The project, which includes an added lane and improved pedestrian and cycling access, was earmarked for completion in July.

However, Roads Minister Luke Donnellan announced last month that the expected completion date had been pushed back after it was found that plans for the project had misplaced the bridge’s steel structures.

He told radio station 3AW last month that he felt “like a fool”.

“I feel like a fool as a minister to actually make pronouncements saying it will be done in July. But here we are in August,” he said.

“The Swan Street Bridge is 70 years old, and as we’ve opened up the bridge, we’ve found the historic, technical drawings that guided the final design are inaccurate,” he said.

“We had to redesign on the run. It is disappointing, no doubt about that.”

VicRoads is now working with contractor Seymour Whyte to deliver the project as fast as possible, with the first priority being to get the bridge back up from three lanes to four.