Tasman Bridge is a five-lane bridge over the River Derwent near the business centre of Hobart city centre. The total length of the bridge is 1,395 metres. Today it is the main traffic artery connecting the city's business centre on the west bank to the to the east bank, where, among other things, Hobart International Airport and the Bellerive Sports Stadium. The bridge has pedestrian walkways in both directions pedestrian paths in both directions, but no cycle paths are provided.
In the 1950s, the rapid development of the east bank of the River Derwent raised the the question of building a new bridge, as the old one could no longer cope with the increased traffic. Construction began in May 1960 and was completed in December 1964, but the official opening of the bridge did not take place until three three months later in the presence of HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
On 5 January 1975, the ore carrier Lake Illawarra crashed into the Tasman Bridge, carrying 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate. As a result, two pylons and three sections of concrete deck collapsed off the bridge and sank the vessel. Seven crew members and five motorists who were driving across the bridge at that moment were killed. The sunken ore carrier still lies at the bottom of the river. For nearly a year the Tasman Bridge was closed for repairs, and residents of the east bank travelled to the west bank via a bypass bridge 50 kilometres from Hobart or by ferry. Today, for safety reasons, road traffic is stopped on the bridge, when a large vessel passes underneath.
