The Tasman Bridge collapse and its effects on metropolitan Hobart : background and methodology of a research project.

Bibliography: p. 33

On the 5th of Jamuary, 1975, a section on the Tasman Bridge spanning the River Derwent in Hobart collapsed after being hit by an ore carrier, Lake Illawarra. Two piers and three decking spans of the bridge were knocked out and it was initially estimated that repair of the bridge would take two and a half years. The bridge was re-opened on 8th October, 1977, 34 months after the link between Hobart's eastern and western shores had been severed. Between January 1975 and December 1975 cross-river movement of people and goods was limited to ferry transport or a lengthy road journey of about 50 km from the eastern shore to the western shore via Bridgewater. In December 1975 a temporary crossing of the Derwent involving a causeway and Bailey Bridge was completed at Dowsing Point, 6 km upstream from the Tasman Bridge. To some extent, this enabled easier contact and cross-river movement, but for almost 12 months the normal functioning of many aspects of city life was severely disrupted. This paper outlines in detail the methodologies and procedure utilized in household surveys which were conducted to examine the effects of the bridge collapse on Hobart