Safety approvals from engineers needed for Cam River bridge to reopen, Minister says

Minister of Infrastructure Michael Ferguson said he expected the two lanes to be "reopened imminently", while it is believed the bridge could be fully operational within 24 hours of Monday afternoon.

"Our highest priority must remain the safety of our workers and road users, and I thank our contractors who have worked around the clock yet again over the weekend doing the additional technical and manual work required to get the job done," he said.

"I understand that this work has been completed and, pending safety inspections, expect that two lanes will be reopened imminently.

"We must get the safety approvals necessary from engineers before reopening."

Mr Ferguson said extra work, such as concreting and bracing the piers, was the cause of the delays.

"We have recognised from the beginning of the intense flood damage the real inconvenience for those travelling across the Cam River Bridge whilst urgent extra strengthening works are completed," he said.

"This extra necessary work was not known at the beginning of this repair task."

Mr Ferguson thanked the community for their patience.

"The vast majority of people have been extremely helpful and understanding - especially our repair teams who have excelled and to whom we should all be grateful," he said.

A Department of State Growth spokesperson said investigations were continuing into the cause of the damage.

"The main cause of the damage to the bridge was the large increase in water and the speed of water flow from the recent floods," the spokesperson said.

"We will continue investigations to gain a more detailed understanding of all contributing factors.

"At the moment, our priority is on completing the repairs as quickly as possible, while minimising disruption for road users."

While a reopening may be "imminent", Labor Braddon Member Anita Dow said the government needed to look at more permanent solutions going forward.

"Our commitment was to build a second crossing at the last state election - this is our solution," she said.

"The safety of the bridge is paramount.

"Information needs to be updated regularly and be easy to access.

"In the event the repair work continues for an extended period then the government should look at all options to address the disruption."

In response to Ms Dow's calls for the government to address the disruption, the Department of State Growth spokesperson said it would take longer to build a temporary bridge than to repair the current one.

"The idea of a temporary bridge is well meaning," the spokesperson said.

"However installing a new temporary bridge would still take considerably longer than the expected length of time for the repair of less than two weeks.

"Preparation works on either side of a crossing and the installation of a temporary bridge would take four to six weeks - far longer than we are currently working toward with our urgent repairs."