Why this 100-metre Perth city bridge has taken two years to fix

The headaches have continued for Main Roads WA’s Malcolm Street Bridge barrier upgrade project after it was hit with a further six-month delay.

The $1.3 million project started in February 2024 and has forced the closure of the right lane on Malcolm Street in West Perth heading east to St Georges Terrace for that period.

The project will see guard rails upgraded and lengthened along both sides of the bridge, but work has moved at a glacial pace thanks to complications with the location of services below the bridge surface.

WAtoday revealed the project issues in June last year, and Main Roads assured the public the work would be complete by October 2025.

Some progress was made on the railing last year but since then, work has stalled completely.

A Main Roads spokeswoman said the agency expected the project would now be finished in April.

“The project experienced unforeseen site and design complexities, as well as delays with service relocation works, which have since been resolved,” she said.

“Importantly, these delays have not increased project costs, as work was paused during this period, and the project remains within the approved budget.

“Main Roads anticipates that the project will be completed by April 2026.”

The new timeline allows Main Roads just two months to finish the eastbound lane railing and start and complete on the westbound lane railing.

Despite the relatively small size and cost of the project the delays will have meant it has run longer than the $187 million Boorloo Bridge project, which took 21 months to finish.