Western Australia to build one of its longest bridges after resolving cultural heritage dispute

One of Western Australia's longest bridges will be built to fix a road to nowhere in Perth's east — resolving a four-year-long deadlock over fears the bridge would destroy an ancient rock shelter and billabong.

The state government began work on the Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchanges project in 2021 to create a "free-flowing gateway" into Perth's Hills.

Building the Lloyd Street Bridge across the Helena River from Midland to Hazelmere was just one part of the almost $400 million project.

Four-lane roads on either side of the river were built, but construction came to a halt in 2022 when traditional owners raised concerns about an ancient rock shelter and billabong in its path.

"We're not against development but we are against destruction of our traditional sites and the river is our cultural heritage site," the group's spokesman Greg Ugle said at the time.

Since then, the surrounding suburbs have surged with traffic, and the unfinished cul-de-sacs became dumping grounds for rubbish and a racetrack for hoons.

New bridge settled

The government has announced it has struck an agreement with traditional owners on a new design, with construction pegged to begin by the end of the year.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said it would avoid the culturally significant sites with support piers positioned away from the sensitive areas.

"The state could have referred [the traditional owner's 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," she said.

"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 could be proud of."

Ms Saffioti said the four-lane bridge will be 180 metres long — one of the longest multi-span bridges in the state.

A state government spokesperson has confirmed the Lloyd Street Bridge is part of a package of works including upgrades to the Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Abernethy Road intersection, with a total current budget of $180 million.