Fremantle Traffic Bridge Closure – What It Means for Your Freight (From February 2026)

From February 2026, the Fremantle Traffic Bridge will close for approximately 12 months, creating significant and ongoing impacts across the Fremantle port precinct and surrounding road network.

This is not a short-term disruption. It will affect container transport, delivery schedules, empty container returns, and overall supply chain reliability for the duration of the closure. Early planning and flexibility will be critical.

At Transitainer WA, we want to be clear about the risks, the realities, and how working together will help minimise disruption and unnecessary costs.

What’s Changing on the Road Network

The Fremantle Traffic Bridge is a critical freight corridor. Its closure will cause congestion well beyond Fremantle itself.

Key impacts include:

• Approximately 23,000 vehicles per day redirected to Stirling Bridge (already carrying ~38,000 vehicles daily)
• Expected 2–4 hour delays during peak periods
• Canning Highway restricted to buses only
• Network-wide congestion between 7:00am – 4:00pm
• Limited alternative routes for heavy vehicles
• Increased pressure on port access and container parks

While the WA Government is still reviewing traffic management measures, further access restrictions for heavy vehicles may be introduced later, depending on congestion levels.

What This Means for Your Containers & Deliveries

For our customers, this will likely result in:

• Longer port-to-destination transit times
• Increased risk of delivery delays during business hours
• Delays returning empty containers to container parks
• Higher risk of detention and demurrage charges
• Reduced flexibility for last-minute deliveries
• Ongoing congestion within the Fremantle and Canning areas

This will directly impact free time usage and delivery planning.

Free Time: A Critical Conversation You Must Have Now

One of the most important steps customers can take right now is to review and renegotiate container free time with shipping lines.

Why this matters:

• Standard operational requirements already consume up to 3 business days
• Empty container dehire can take up to 2 additional business days
• That’s up to 5 business days before congestion impacts are even considered

If your shipment is on CIF terms, Transitainer WA cannot negotiate free time on your behalf — this must be done by you or your supplier.

Our Position on Detention & Demurrage

Where delays or inability to return empty containers are a direct result of congestion and operational constraints caused by the bridge closure, Transitainer WA will not accept liability for detention or demurrage charges.

Customers must ensure their suppliers and end-clients understand this position and plan accordingly.

What to aim for:

• 10+ days free time
• Flexibility clauses for delays
• Clear understanding of who carries risk

After-Hours Deliveries Will Be Essential

To avoid peak congestion, after-hours deliveries will become the most reliable option during the bridge closure.

Recommended delivery windows:

• Evening: 4:00pm – 10:00pm
• Early morning: 4:00am – 7:00am

Benefits include:

• Faster transit times
• Reduced congestion risk
• Improved delivery reliability
• Lower likelihood of detention charges

Customers should begin assessing now:

• Whether their sites can accept after-hours deliveries
• Staffing, lighting, access, and safety requirements
• Flexibility in operating hours

The more adaptable customers are, the smoother deliveries will be.

Rail as an Alternative – Helpful, But Not a Cure-All

Rail will play a role in easing some congestion, and intermodal services will continue to be utilised where possible. However, it’s important to understand:

• Rail capacity is limited
• Demand will be high across all carriers
• Vessel bunching and terminal delays will still affect throughput
• Rail alone cannot eliminate congestion-related delays

It should be viewed as one tool, not a complete solution.

How Working Together Will Help Everyone

This bridge closure will impact every part of the supply chain. The more proactive and flexible customers are, the better outcomes we can achieve together.

You can help by:

• Negotiating extended free time early
• Being open to after-hours deliveries
• Allowing flexibility in delivery schedules
• Understanding that delays may occur despite best planning
• Communicating site constraints and extended operating hours clearly

Anything customers can do to support logistics operations will ultimately reduce costs, delays, and frustration for everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

This is a 12-month disruption, not a temporary inconvenience. Success during this period will depend on planning, communication, and collaboration.

Transitainer WA will continue to work closely with transport providers and terminals to navigate these challenges, but early action from customers is essential.

If you’d like to discuss free time planning, delivery options, or after-hours strategies, please reach out to our team.

Together, we can manage this — but it will take a team effort.