The Australian and ACT governments have issued a contract for the construction of Canberra’s largest ever bridge project, the Molonglo River Bridge.

B.M.D Construction Pty Ltd will design and construct the bridge and associated road and public transport infrastructure, federal and local transport ministers announced today.

The 227.5 metre-long bridge over the region’s largest river will connect Molonglo and West Belconnen to the rest of Canberra.

1.7 kilometres of new arterial roads leading to the bridge and five new intersections will be built, providing access to the proposed Molonglo Group Centre from Whitlam and future northern suburbs.

The upgrade can support a future light rail connection. Two new bus stops will be built, and there will be a southbound queue jump bus lane (on the northern side of the bridge).

Off-road shared paths and on-road cycle lanes will encourage more Canberrans to ride a bike to their destination.

The new bridge will be integrated with the future Molonglo Commercial Centre.

Detailed design will start shortly, and is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Construction will then start on the bridge and road approaches, which are expected to open to traffic around the end of 2025.

This project is jointly funded by the Australian and ACT governments on a 50:50 basis, and the contract awarded is worth $172.7 million.