Major milestone reached on Lloyd Street Bridge project in Midland WA

An agreement on design principles for the Lloyd Street Bridge in Midland has been reached with local Traditional Owners, taking it a step further towards construction.

This agreement follows four years of consultation, collaboration, and design investigation to ensure the new bridge avoids impact on culturally significant sites such as the Helena River and a seasonal pool on the bridge’s alignment.

“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.

“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 can be proud of.

“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.

“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,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.

The new design for the Lloyd Street Bridge features an 180-metre-long crossing that spans most of the Helena River floodplain and two sets of supporting piers positioned away from culturally sensitive areas.

This will also help significantly reduce the project’s footprint and drive down the vegetation clearing requirement by around 20 per cent.

The new Lloyd Street Bridge will have two lanes in each direction and paths for pedestrians and cyclists.

With the agreement on design principles now in place, detailed design can commence as well as site investigations and broader stakeholder engagement.

Subject to progress on detailed design, construction of the new bridge is expected to begin by the end of this year.

“It’s great to see the Lloyd Street Bridge and road extension moving to the next stage to deliver a vital and welcome transport link into the heart of Midland.

“The bridge will reduce congestion and bottlenecks on surrounding roads and make it easier for residents, workers, and visitors to move around.

“Importantly, the project design has been shaped through collaboration with Traditional Owners, whose knowledge of the Helena River system has ensured improved connectivity does not come at the expense of protecting the Helena River and its banks.

“Their tireless advocacy has resulted in a design outcome that is better for road connectivity and better for our river health which means a better outcome for our whole community,” Federal Member for Hasluck Tania Lawrence said.

Project map (source: Main Roads Western Australia)

This project will also include the connection of Lloyd Street to the intersection of Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Abernethy Road to complete the long-planned Lloyd Street link between the Great Eastern Highway and the Bypass.

The extension of Lloyd Street is vital for the increasing traffic volumes in and around Midland as the region continues to grow. Moreover, it will support the growth of the Hazelmere Industrial Area while reducing congestion on local roads including Stirling Crescent, Military Road and Clayton Street.

Connecting Lloyd Street to the Great Eastern Highway Bypass will also enable the future construction of the proposed Roe Highway and Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchange.

The Lloyd Street Bridge project is being delivered by Main Roads Western Australia on behalf of the City of Swan and is jointly funded by the Australia and Western Australian Governments.

“Since being elected, I have been working hard to get the Lloyd Street Bridge project moving because our community deserves better access, less congestion and quality infrastructure.

“The Cook Labor Government is proud that after extensive consultation with Traditional Owners, an agreement on key design principles has been reached and the project can now move into detailed design and construction.

“We’ve worked hard behind the scenes to get to this outcome, and I thank the Traditional Owners for sharing their connections to this place with the project team, to enable a design to be developed that allows this important project to proceed.

“The new bridge and connection to Great Eastern Highway Bypass will provide a critical link through the heart of Midland and support future growth across the eastern suburbs,” Midland MLA Steve Catania said.

Source: Government of Western Australia – Media Statements; Main Roads Western Australia