| Brighton Bypass | |
| The bypass at the Bridgewater Industrial Estate | |
| Length | 9.5 km (6 mi) |
| Direction | South-North |
| From | East Derwent Highway (Bridgewater Roundabout) |
| via | Brighton, Pontville |
| To | Midland Highway (Pontville Roundabout) |
| Established | 2012 |
| Allocation | Highway 1 |
| Major junctions | Tea Tree Road
for full list see Exits |
The Brighton Bypass is a A$164 million[1][2] bypass currently under construction[3][4][5] on the Midland Highway between Bridgewater and Pontville, just north of Hobart in southern Tasmania. Construction of the 9.5 km federally funded[6] Dual carriageway started in April 2009, and is expected to be completed in conjunction with the Brighton Transport Hub in 2012. The Highway is being constructed as part of the Southern Transport Investment Program, a 10 year investment on Transport infrastructure in the area. The Bagdad Bypass and the replacement of the ageing Bridgewater Bridge will be constructed as stage 2 of the program.
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The Midland Highway was constructed in the early 19th century to facilitate communication between the north and the south of Tasmania. Hobart inbound and outbound freight was always transferred via the Port of Hobart or the rail line. Over the past 20 years freight in the Port of Hobart has declined in favor transporting cargo to the ports to the north of the state. The Southern Railway Line has become outdated and unsafe after years of poor maintenance and is no longer an easy alternative to road transport. The Midland Highway still passes through a lot of its original alignment - including the CBD of Brighton. With commercial, residential and local streets right on the Highway as well as a school in close proximity, there are several safety concerns with the highway in its existing alignment.
In 2007, the Lennon government released the Southern Transport Investment Program, a comprehensive Transport study which marked a clear plan and timetable for constructing the bypass. The bypass is designed to be a new fully grade separated Dual carriageway Highway from the Bridgewater roundabout to just north of Pontville. The sweeping Bypass has been designed to be safe and provide a high level of service. Construction of the bypass will also facilitate a seamless connection to the Brighton Transport Hub and provide opportunities to realign the south line in certain sections. After intense lobbying on behalf of the State government[7][8] and councils involved, the construction of the bypass became a Federal election issue, with both major parties pledging financial support towards its construction.
In January 2009 The Rudd Government approved 10.5 million dollars[6] to start excavation work on the Bypass,[4] with the state government describing it as "the biggest infrastructure project in southern Tasmania".[4] The new dual carriageway road will be built concurrently with the $79 million southern transport hub. The project was fast-tracked as part of the Federal Government's economic stimulus package. Funds from the Rudd Government are paying for the Brighton bypass, while the Tasmanian government is funding the road and rail freight transport interchange at Brighton.
Construction commenced in April 2009 - A month early. During May 2010, Lara Giddings Announced the opening of Glenstone Road.[9] Constructed as the Brighton Transport Hub Link Road, the road has detoured the traffic flow around the Midland Highway in the area of the Brighton Industrial Estate to enable construction of the bypass in that area.
Construction of the bypass is scheduled to be completed in 2012, it is currently 18 months ahead of schedule.
The southernmost 2 km stretch of the Brighton Bypass opened to the public on Monday 13 December 2010.
The Brighton Bypass remains controversial because of the Tasmanian government's refusal to properly investigate the proposed road corridor for Aboriginal sites prior to construction. In September 2009 local Aboriginals conducted a protest at the Jordan River crossing of the proposed road, stating that construction would destroy an Aboriginal site of potential world significance. [10] Over the next few days, twenty protesters were arrested while attempting to halt work on the bypass.[11][12][13] Local Aboriginal activist Michael Mansell called for the bypass to be scrapped stating that to continue would be cultural vandalism on an extreme scale.[14] In February 2010, the aboriginal community gave archaeologists permission to excavate the site,[15][16] after the state government agreed to consult more closely with it about the cultural values of the site.[15][16]
Stone and Everett alerted the Tasmanian government to the potential cultural and scientific significance of the Jordan River Levee in October 2008.[17] The recommendations of that report were ignored by the state until construction of the bypass had reached the levee site and threatened to destroy it completely. In early March 2010, a hastily convened archaeological excavation of the site uncovered stone tools dating back 42,000 years - the most southerly human habitation in the world at this time.[18][19][20] In response, the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) commissioned peer reviews of the results which did not agree with the findings of the original report.[21][22] There are a range of opinions on the merits of both the original study and the peer reviews.[23]
By this stage, construction across the Jordan River Levee site was a fait accompli because the bypass had already been constructed to the edge of the river valley and building a bridge on the site was the only option that the Tasmanian government would consider. The government estimated the cost of the bridge at $5 - $10 million and claimed that its construction would protect the site.[18] The local aboriginal community rejected the bridge proposal and immediately appealed to the Minister of Heritage, David O'Byrne. Over the following weeks, representatives of the aboriginal community negotiated with the government over the site. They suggested the government re-route funds from their failed Tarkine road project into diverting the bypass around the Levee.[24][25] They proposed to have the road follow the train tracks before crossing the Jordan River. The government rejected this idea, as funding for the Tarkine road was designated for the north-west of the state and creating a diversion in the sweeping bypass would lower the speed limit, create unsafe geometry, and be almost impossible to build without altering the site of the rail bridge.[24] The aboriginal community then released an amended plan proposing to have the highway cut through the southern tip of the Brighton Suburb.[24] The government rejected this proposal also, stating that the amended plans would cost an additional $60 million and not address all the safety concerns.[24]
On 17 December 2010, Tasmanian Aboriginals set up camp on the levee and vowed not to budge as bulldozers rolled in.[26] They named the levee "Kutalayna".
On 25 January 2011 Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese announced his support for the state government’s preferred crossing of the Jordan River after the Independent review launched by the Federal government was finalised.[27] The report's key findings stated that the alternative bridging options would increase the overall cost of the bypass by at least $127 million and delay its completion by up to 4 years while new planning and environmental approvals were sought. It also noted that changing the route of the bypass would add between $82 and $140 million to the overall cost of the project.[27]
On 6 March 2011, the protesters attracted 200 people to an open day held at Camp Kutalayna in a show of community support.[28] Visitors were given a tour of the area and told of its cultural and historical significance.
On 11 April 2011, Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, Brian Wightman approved a construction environmental management plan enabling construction to start on the Bridge.[26] The following day The Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources said it was about to start constructing fences around the boundary of the construction site.[29] The department said they would provide a fenced "safe zone" for Aboriginal protesters. They also said they were prepared for confrontation with protesters at the Jordan River levee site, but were hopeful protests would not escalate to a point where force would be required.[29]
| Brighton Bypass | |||
| Southbound interchanges | Distance from East Derwent Highway (km) |
Distance from Pontville Roundabout (km) |
Northbound interchanges |
| End Brighton Bypass continues as Midland Highway to Hobart |
0 | 9.5 | Start Brighton Bypass from Midland Highway |
| Lindisfarne East Derwent Highway |
Lindisfarne East Derwent Highway |
||
| No Access | 0.4 | 9.1 | Brighton Transport Hub |
| Brighton Transport Hub | 0.8 | 8.7 | No Access |
| Brighton, Brighton Transport Hub Midland Highway |
2.4 | 7.1 | Brighton, Brighton Transport Hub Midland Highway |
| Brighton, Triabunna Tea Tree Road |
5.8 | 3.7 | Brighton, Triabunna Tea Tree Road |
| Pontville Midland Highway |
9.5 | 0 | Pontville Midland Highway |
| Start Brighton Bypass continues from Midland Highway |
End Brighton Bypass continues as Midland Highway to Launceston |
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Note: distances measured from plan
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