Projects

Great Ocean Road bridge replacements over Calder River and Ford River

We’re replacing the Calder River and Ford River bridges on the Great Ocean Road to make them safer and more durable.

Project status:

Underway

As part of the Great Ocean Road and Inland Routes funding package, we’re upgrading numerous bridges along the Great Ocean Road to ensure vehicles, including heavy freight vehicles, can continue to use the road safely.

Two of these bridges are the Calder River bridge at Hordern Vale and the Ford River bridge at Glenaire.

Our designers have adopted a common bridge style along the Great Ocean Road, reminiscent of the original white wooden post bridges. This style complies with safety regulations.

We’ll keep the community informed of works schedules, impacts and timelines as the project progresses.

Update – July 2024

Ford River Bridge – traffic changes from 6 May

From 6 May, traffic will be moved on to a side track to allow for the old bridge to be demolished and the new bridge be built.

Traffic will move through the site, one lane at a time, under traffic management. Temporary traffic lights will be in place to help guide vehicles safely through the site.

This arrangement is expected to remain in place for approximately four months.

Please note these works and timeframes are subject to favourable weather and site conditions.

Look out for signs alerting to changed traffic conditions for the safety of road users, the community and our crews.

Please allow up to five minutes additional travel time as minor delays are expected.

Benefits

We’re replacing these bridges to:

provide a crossing opportunity for vehicles of all sizes that’s safer and more secure
increase the lifespan and reliability of the bridges
improve safety outcomes on the Great Ocean Road and its inland routes.

Funding

These works are thanks to the Victorian Government’s $255 million investment to upgrade the Great Ocean Road and its inland routes, to be delivered over five years (2021 to 2025).

This includes $140 million to upgrade and improve the resilience of the Great Ocean Road and another $115 million to upgrade inland routes between the Great Ocean Road and the Princes Highway, which are vital connections for tourism, freight and local communities.

See our Great Ocean Road upgrades page for more projects along this road.

What we’re doing

Calder River bridge

The Calder River bridge replacement includes:

installing specialised equipment above and below the bridge for waterway protection during works
rebuilding a wider bridge deck and bridge barriers (from 8 metres to 11 metres)
widening the road on the approaches to the bridge (from 6.2 metres to 7 metres)
installing a dedicated left-hand turning lane into Hordern Vale Road
installing roadside safety barriers on the approaches to the bridge
installing new barriers on the bridge
rehabilitating and widening the road on the approach to the bridge
widening the road shoulder on the bridge and its approaches (from 6.2 metres to 8 metres)
improving the pavement at the intersection of Hordern Vale Road and Great Ocean Road
adding new kerb and roadside drainage
adding new culverts at driveways to help with drainage and water flow
general vegetation clearing
laying topsoil and grass seed at the conclusion of the project.

Ford River bridge

The Ford River Bridge replacement includes:

installing specialised equipment above and below the bridge for waterway protection during works
building the bridge in two halves, always keeping one side of the bridge open to traffic
replacing the support beams under the bridge with new single span beams for the full width of the river at a level to cater for adverse weather conditions
rebuilding a wider single span bridge (from 8 metres to 11 metres)
installing new bridge barriers on the bridge and safety barriers on the approaches to the bridge
installing new retaining walls under the bridge
rehabilitating and widening the road on the approach to the bridge (from 6.2 metres to 8 metres)
improving the pavement at the intersection of Old Ocean Road and Great Ocean Road
realigning the road on the approaches to the bridge
adding new roadside drainage
adding new culverts at driveways to help with drainage and water flow
general vegetation clearing
laying topsoil and grass seed at the conclusion of the project.

What to expect

Crews will be on site between 7am and 6pm on weekdays. Som weekend and night works will be required at times.

We’ll maintain traffic flow on the Great Ocean Road, Hordern Vale Road and Old Ocean Road at all times throughout the projects.

Major works are expected to be completed in late 2024, weather permitting.

Thank you for your patience while we complete these important upgrades.

Calder River bridge

During this project, we’ll build a temporary single lane bridge beside the existing bridge.

Vehicles will travel in a contraflow arrangement with traffic management in place to help guide drivers through works.

We’ll remove the temporary bridge once the new Calder River bridge construction is complete.

Look out for signs alerting to changed traffic conditions for the safety of road users, the community and our crews.

Please allow up to five minutes additional travel time as minor delays are expected.

Ford River bridge

During this project, half of the Ford River bridge will be closed while the new bridge is constructed.

Vehicles will travel in a contraflow arrangement with traffic lights at either side of the old bridge and on Old Ocean Road, allowing drivers a safe and controlled journey.

There may be some periods during the works where the Ford River bridge operates as normal. Look out for signs alerting to changed traffic conditions for the safety of road users, the community and our crews.

Please allow up to five minutes additional travel time as minor delays are expected.

Vegetation impacts

The Department of Transport and Planning understands the importance of trees and the value that the local community places on the environment along the Great Ocean Road.

During the design phase, we worked closely with designers and an external arborist to refine the design and construction methods and minimise impact to the environment.

Where vegetation removal is required, we’ll work with key stakeholders to offset the removal where possible. Some vegetation may be recycled through mulching or utilised for habitat elsewhere.