The Fremantle Traffic Bridge will close for up to 12 months from February 2026, triggering coordinated government and freight industry responses to manage congestion.
The closure will allow completion of a new bridge spanning the Swan River, forming part of the Government’s broader road infrastructure program. During the shutdown, Stirling Highway will become the primary east–west arterial for traffic moving around Fremantle.
To manage congestion, Main Roads Western Australia will modify 15 intersections along Stirling Highway and deploy enhanced real-time traffic monitoring technology. Additional public transport measures will also be introduced, including extra train and bus services, a free travel zone through Fremantle, and free parking at Fremantle Station for SmartRider users.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says the closure is essential to complete the project, while acknowledging it will affect commuters and local traffic conditions. Community information sessions are underway, and a new mobile app has been launched to provide live updates on congestion during the closure period.
“The State Government has been working extensively over 18 months to ensure stakeholders and the community are aware of the upcoming closure and how they can best move around the road network during this time,” she says. “We have developed a suite of measures to encourage peak time road users to consider alternative ways to travel on public transport and are rolling out smart traffic monitoring technology to provide real-time updates on traffic and congestion.
In parallel, the freight industry has moved quickly to coordinate its own response. Container Transport Alliance Australia, Freight & Trade Alliance, and the Western Roads Federation have jointly convened an industry group focused on maintaining freight access to and from the Port of Fremantle.
The group includes container terminals, road and rail operators, exporters, shipping lines and freight forwarders, and was formed following discussions with Government about potential congestion impacts during peak periods.
FTA’s Head of Business Operations, John Park, who chairs the group, says Government expects industry-led solutions rather than formal freight restrictions. While the State has ruled out trials of higher productivity freight vehicles, industry participants argue that fewer, more efficient truck trips could reduce congestion, emissions and safety risks during the closure.
“What we have heard loud and clear from the Government is that they expect the freight industry to find solutions themselves, including more night and weekend operations, as well as further utilisation of rail capacity,” Park says.
Higher productivity vehicles remain a point of tension
A key issue raised by the Freight Industry Group is the long-standing Western Australian Government policy preventing loaded 40-foot/40-foot container combinations from operating out of the Port of Fremantle, a measure intended to protect rail freight market share.
In correspondence issued ahead of the group’s first meeting, the Director General Transport at the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure reiterated that the Government’s position on Higher Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) remains unchanged and that a trial will not be contemplated.
The advice pointed to significant investment in rail infrastructure, with Western Australia recording the highest proportion of freight moved by rail of any Australian capital city. In 2024/25, rail accounted for an average 23.5 per cent of freight movements, rising to 28 per cent at Fremantle between July and October 2025.
Despite this, the majority view of the Freight Industry Group is that targeted use of HPFVs on defined access routes could materially reduce the number of individual truck trips by moving the same freight in fewer vehicle movements.
Fewer trips, industry representatives argue, would ease congestion, lower emissions and improve road safety during a period of heightened pressure on the road network caused by the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closure.
“That’s an outcome that shouldn’t be ignored by Government when we are all faced with pressures to operate efficiently during the period of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closure,” says John Park.
Further advice to Government is expected as industry continues to assess operational and economic impacts ahead of the bridge shutdown.
.jpg)
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.jpg)
