00:00It's a day that's essentially been 20 years in the making.
00:06Thousands of people are taking part in a ceremonial walk
00:09over the newly constructed Bridgewater Bridge,
00:12which further connects northern Hobart with Tasmania's Midlands
00:16and onwards to Launceston.
00:18We chatted with a few of the locals to ask them
00:20what makes this such an important occasion.
00:26Why did you want to walk over the bridge today?
00:28Because it's new!
00:30I watched it come from start to finish.
00:34I've worked here at Bridgewater for 30 years
00:37and I never thought I'd see this day. Never did.
00:42It's the first time to get over here.
00:44You've got no idea. This is my family that surprised me to do it.
00:48I wasn't going to do it, but I'm glad I did.
00:50I love it. I love this bridge.
00:52I've never walked on the bridge before,
00:54so I didn't get to Hobart or the Bowen,
00:56so I got this one.
00:57Yeah.
00:58I'll go on the bus and go to the bridge.
01:01Just for the experience, like a one-time experience, you know?
01:04Like it's really big.
01:06Hello!
01:09I've been here long enough to see this start from the beginning
01:12and it's nice to be able to go over it.
01:15Oh, well, just because, you know, we've been waiting for it for so long
01:19and here we are, we're doing it.
01:21At $786 million, the new four-lane bridge essentially replaces the old 1940s two-lane bridge
01:29and allows for continuous flow of traffic up the centre of Tasmania.
01:34It's been a long time coming, with some funding first promised way back in 2004,
01:38before political disagreements over scope and priorities meant it was essentially put on hold.
01:44But construction did finally start in 2022 and it's largely been finished on schedule.
01:50It's been a long time coming.
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