Harding Street Bridge Replacement

Darebin and Merri-bek Councils are working together to replace and upgrade the Harding Street Bridge to make it safer, more accessible and more user friendly.

Project update November 2026

New design for bridge at Harding Street released

Merri-bek and Darebin City Councils have today revealed updated designs for a new bridge at Harding Street, which will replace the old suspension-style bridge with a wider and safer crossing over Merri Creek.

The bridge on Harding Street is old and has reached the end of its useful life.

The new bridge design responds to community feedback by reducing the impact on existing trees and vegetation, with space for additional re-vegetation.

Construction of the new bridge is set to begin in February/March 2027. The existing bridge will remain open during the early stages of construction, where possible.

The bridge over Merri Creek provides an important link in the network of walking and bike riding paths in Coburg and Preston. However, community members report the bridge is too narrow, creating difficulties passing other users. The bridge has also reached the end of its life, and a feasibility study has indicated the existing bridge should be replaced.

The new bridge will be four metres wide, and will improve access and safety for walkers and cyclists.

Earlier this year, Merri-bek and Darebin began the process of identifying an appropriate name for the new bridge, with community members invited to submit name suggestions that complied with a set of criteria. The councils are now shortlisting the name suggestions and will provide the community with an opportunity to vote on their preferred bridge name early next year.

This construction and naming of the new bridge at Harding Street is a joint project between Merri-bek and Darebin city councils.

For more information about the project, visit the Conversations Merri-bek page: Harding Street Bridge Replacement Project.

Why are we upgrading the Harding Street Bridge?

Harding Street bridge is a timber suspension-style bridge over the Merri Creek. It opened in 1985 and features a 1.2-metre-wide timber deck that spans approximately 77 metres. The bridge provides a great view from which to observe the creek, and is an important link in the network of walking and bike riding paths in Coburg and Preston.

As more people discover the joys of walking, cycling and immersing themselves in nature, the need for improvements to this bridge has become increasingly apparent.

Community members report that the bridge is too narrow and creates difficulties passing other users, and both Merri-bek City Council and Darebin City Council have raised concerns over safety issues and potential user conflicts. In addition, the bridge has reached the end of its life, which results in high maintenance costs.

In June 2020 we hired a consultant to do a feasibility study of the bridge. The study determined that the existing bridge should be replaced.

What benefits will the upgrade bring?

Following our last community consultation on this project, we have made changes to the design of the new bridge.

One major change is the alignment of the bridge. The proposed design now sits at a 45-degree angle just south of the existing bridge.

This change in alignment addresses a number of community concerns. These include:

• minimising the time that the bridge will need to be closed during construction
• creating better path connections from Merri-bek to Darebin by removing the existing dogleg bend near Kendall Street
• assisting in better connections to the Merri Creek Trail, with the inclusion of stairs and smooth path connections.

The new bridge will be 4 metres wide, which the majority of community members who took part in our engagement noted this as their preferred width.

Creating better access for people with disability or other mobility concerns remains a priority, and we continue to work to achieve the best possible path connections during this design phase.

We are also looking to reduce the 'visual bulk' of the bridge, based on community feedback, ie. a more transparent bridge.

Consultations

Following the 2020 feasibility study and 2021 community engagement the following decisions have been made. These decisions are also in line with relevant engineering standards.

• Harding Street bridge will be replaced.
• The new bridge will feature a truss style design.
• The bridge will sit at an angle, just south of the existing bridge.
• The railing of the bridge will be 1.4m high and the truss structure sides will be 3m high.
• The new bridge will be realigned on the western end.
• The new bridge will feature an improvement of the dog-leg bend on the eastern end. This will allow better path connections for bike riders and pedestrians.
• The bridge will be 4m wide.
• Goodwin Street will become the main access point on the eastern side of the bridge.

Project timeline

What to expect during construction

As the new bridge will have a different alignment, the old bridge will remain while construction of the new bridge commences.

We will work closely with the contractor to ensure that access during construction are minimised and that people can use the old bridge safely.

Questions or feedback?

Merri-bek Council is leading this project, with more information available at the Conversations Merri-bek website.