The bridgeworks commenced in March 2023, and involve the installation first of a separate temporary bridge to maintain river crossing access, then the installation of the new permanent bridge. These works are complex, with completion subject to progress, weather and other factors, including restricted fish friendly windows for instream piling (July - September and January - March).

On Monday 21 August traffic was successfully transferred to a temporary floating bridge to cross the Gellibrand River. The temporary bridge will remain in place for at least 10 months as work progresses to replace the Old Coach Road bridge in Princetown – a 1940s timber structure that has reached the end of its useful life.

For the latest information please visit the site regularly.

Road users will be alerted to changed conditions by road signage in accordance with the endorsed Parking & Traffic Management Plan.

From time to time, contractors will need to change road traffic conditions. All works will be managed to minimise disruption to traffic and the community.

Access on Old Coach Road to the Princetown Recreation Reserve, Gellibrand River mouth, private properties and all areas east of the Old Coach Road Bridge will be maintained at all times.

We acknowledge there will be some inconvenience and we appreciate your understanding and patience while works are under way.

With traffic now moved over to the temporary bridge, public access to the car park, boat ramp and northern part of the jetty on the south western bank of the Gellibrand River is closed.

Closure is required for construction needs, environmental protection and safety reasons in what is a very constrained work area – except for emergency services access to the boatramp. This closure is now formalised in a fenced off construction compound in accordance with the approved Construction Management Plan, and will remain in place until the new bridge is opened to traffic.

Pedestrian access will be maintained during the works around the construction compound area to the National Park, including the picnic and lawn area, Great Ocean Walk and the southern end of the jetty and river gauge. Public river access will remain in place from the National Park picnic area for kayak users, fishing etc.

Once the new bridge is completed, the construction compound will be removed, traffic will be switched over to the new bridge, and the boatramp and carpark will be re-opened to the public.

Endorsed plans and reports have been prepared and endorsed in response to the 70 conditions of planning permit PP2016/126.

These include a construction management plan, parking and traffic management plan, a flora and fauna report, aquatic ecology report, and other associated plans and reports.

Additionally, a Flora Fauna Guarantee Act permit is in place for the removal of native vegetation for the works, two Works on Waterways permits are in place for the temporary and permanent bridge works and a Cultural Heritage Management Plan is also in place.

The endorsed construction management plan combines all the strict and extensive environmental controls across all plans, reports and permits into one document.

In stream bridge piling works in the Gellibrand River will only take place during designated windows (January - March and July - September) to ensure the migration and spawning of the protected Australian Grayling is not affected.

Princetown public infrastructure enabling works, including infrastructure upgrades at Old Coach Road, are delivered as part of the $500 million Geelong City Deal, a collaborative plan to transform Geelong and the Great Ocean Road by the Australian and Victorian Governments, and local council through the Private Sector Business Enablement Fund. This project is further supported through other private and public funding.

For regular updates, including potential disruptions to traffic, please visit the website regularly. You can also email us at info@princetownecostay.com.