About Walmer Street Bridge

The Walmer Street Bridge crosses the Yarra River and connects Kew to Richmond and Abbotsford. It plays an important role for pedestrians and the regional bicycle network.

The bridge has 3 sections:

  • The northern land bridge is a City of Boroondara asset. This section of the Walmer Street Bridge is in poor condition and needs to be replaced.
  • The river bridge is a heritage-listed Victorian Government asset.
  • The southern land bridge is a City of Yarra asset. You can find out more about the works being completed by Salta Properties on the southern land bridge via the Live at Riverbank website.

Construction status update

On Wednesday 17 August 2022, the full length of Walmer Street Bridge was closed and construction started. There have been some delays to construction of the northern land bridge due to:

  • extensive wet weather experienced in late 2022
  • issues with sourcing materials
  • the need to adjust the construction management plan to protect culturally sensitive areas, in line with our Cultural Heritage Plan
  • the gabion wall taking longer than originally scheduled by the builder
  • delays in the fabrication and painting of the barrier fencing.

The final pavement works to the northern land bridge are now expected to be completed by early-October 2023. Site clean up works and landscaping around the bridge will then follow. At this point, all works related to the construction of the northern land bridge are expected to be completed by early-November 2023.

The bridge will remain closed in full until Salta Properties' works on the southern land bridge are completed.

Aim of our works on the northern land bridge

With funding support from the Australian Government, our works to replace the northern land bridge will result in:

  • a safer shared path for pedestrians and cyclists through an increase in the bridge’s width (from 1.7 m to 3.3 m), and handrail lighting
  • the bridge meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 through the decrease in the bridge’s steepness
  • structural improvements to the bridge and to the staircase down to the riverbank
  • an improvement to the bridge’s overall look and convenience.

You can view progress shots of construction on the northern land bridge taken in April 2023 below. You can also view artists' impressions of what the northern land bridge structure will look like once completed below.

Progress shots taken in April 2023

Artists impressions

An artists' impression of the new northern land bridge structure connecting to the heritage-listed river bridge.
An artists' impression of the new northern land bridge structure.
An artists' impression of the new northern land bridge structure from underneath.
​An artists' impression of the new northern land bridge structure.

Other ways of getting around

We encourage people who regularly use the bridge to think about different routes or ways of getting around while it is closed. Options to consider include:

  • taking the bus - bus routes 200 and 207 operate along Studley Park Road (north of the bridge)
  • walking or cycling along a different route

Visit the PTV website for more information about public transport. You can also view some different route options below:

East detour map (preferred route for pedestrians).
East detour map that goes from Dickson Reserve, down Young Street, Stevenson Street, Swinton Avenue, turns on Findon Crescent, and turns on Barkers Road
West detour map (preferred route for pedestrians and cyclists).
West detour map that goes down Shamrock Street, turns on Grosvenor Street, turns on Southhampton Street, goes down Nelson Street, Murray Street and Victoria Cresent, goes across Gipps Street Bridge and throuhg Andrews Reserve and Dickson Reserve to Walmer Street.

Residents over the age of 65 who need help getting around Boroondara while the bridge is closed may be eligible to use our transport services. For information about these services:

Our work so far

Since 2008, we have advocated for the northern land bridge section of Walmer Street Bridge to be replaced. This was an action we included in our 2008 Boroondara Bicycle Strategy and would support the Victorian Government's Principal Bicycle Network and Strategic Cycling Corridors.

In 2013, we received a report that said the bridge is in poor condition. It explained that the bridge has:

  • defects in its structure
  • beams that are failing
  • timber railing posts that are splitting
  • a deck that is sagging.

The community also shared their concerns about the width, surface and steepness of the northern land bridge section. The report and feedback from the community confirmed the need for the structure to be replaced.

In 2013, temporary scaffolding was installed at the northern land bridge section. Scaffolding was replaced with steel supports in 2015.In 2016, we started work on a permanent design solution to replace the northern land bridge section.

In December 2020, the Heritage Council decided that Walmer Street Bridge was of ‘State-level cultural heritage significance’ and should be added to the Victorian Heritage Register.

After this announcement, we needed to change our designs and submit it to Heritage Victoria as part of a permit application.

In December 2021, Heritage Victoria approved a conditional permit for construction.

With support from the City of Yarra and the Walmer Street Bridge Working Group, we have also been advocating to the Victorian Government to replace the whole bridge. In 2018, the Victorian Government completed feasibility studies to replace the full length of Walmer Street Bridge. Unfortunately, the Victorian Government has still not committed to go ahead with the redevelopment at this stage.

Trees near the bridge

Since the Walmer Street Bridge was originally built, some trees have grown directly next to the bridge structure.

Experts determined that 4 trees need to be removed to be able to widen the northern land bridge and make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Experts said the trees which need to be removed have a life expectancy of fewer than 10 years based on their current health and structure. This means these trees may need to be removed in the next 5 to 10 years.

We will offset the trees being removed by planting 13 semi-advanced, new trees on the eastern side of the new northern land bridge. These trees will be local native species to preserve the biodiversity of the river corridor. We will also plant hundreds of smaller shrubs and grasses, so the bushland setting continues to thrive for years to come.