Why this 100-metre Perth city bridge has taken two years to fix
Headaches have continued after a six-month delay to Main Roads WA’s Malcolm Street Bridge barrier upgrade project.
The $1.3 million project began in February 2024 and resulted in the closure of the right lane heading east of Malcolm Street in West Perth towards St Georges Terrace for that period.
The project envisages raising and extending guardrails along both sides of the bridge, but work progressed too quickly due to issues with the location of services below the bridge surface.
WAtoday The project disclosed its problems in June last year and Main Roads assured the public the work would be completed by October 2025.
Some progress was made on the railing last year, but work has since stopped completely.
A Main Roads spokesman said the agency now expects the project to be completed in April.
“The project experienced unforeseen site and design complexities, as well as utility relocation delays, which have since been resolved,” he said.
“Importantly, these delays did not increase project costs as work was halted during this period and the project remained within the approved budget.
“Main Roads anticipates the project to be completed by April 2026.”
The new timeline allows Trunk Roads just two months to finish eastbound lane guarding and start and complete westbound lane guarding.
Despite the project’s relatively small size and cost, the delays will mean it will take longer to complete than the $187 million Boorloo Bridge project, which took 21 months to complete.
Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political correspondent and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Award for best political journalism.Connect with: X or email.
