Northern Tasmanians have sent a clear message about the Tamar River bridge, but the sticking point remains - someone's going to have to pay for it.
The state government has released a long-overdue consultation report detailing community responses to five proposed bridge options.
The results, which were almost identical to The Examiner's poll numbers from April 2025, found little support for three options connecting Invermay and Riverside.
Instead, 81 per cent of respondents favoured a bridge between Riverside and Newnham.
This figure included a 56 per cent majority who supported the 'orange' option, which would connect Newnham and north Riverside near the Cormiston Road intersection.
"There was significant community participation, resulting in over 1500 survey responses," Building Tasmania's report said.
"Key findings from the consultation revealed strong community support for the project.
"The community stated that building a bridge would accommodate Greater Launceston's growing population, reduce congestion, shorten commute times and improve access to schools and childcare for families."
WHERE'S THE MONEY COMING FROM?
The problem is that the orange option comes with an estimated cost of $1.1 billion, making it by far the most expensive of the five.
The state government has already set aside $80 million for the project, while the federal government has allocated $20 million for design work.
But there's still a $1 billion shortfall
The $786 million Bridgewater bridge was funded under the now-scrapped 80-20 model, meaning the federal government contributed $628 million.
If a similar arrangement could be reached, the project would require $880 million and $220 million from federal and state governments respectively, however neither has cash to spare.
The federal government has $1 trillion of debt, while the state government has $7 billion of debt and a new stadium to build.
In May, the state government said the new bridge was "not an immediate priority".
WHAT DOES THE REPORT SAY?
The report said that some who favoured the purple bridge (the other Riverside to Newnham option) did so for its cheaper price ($712 million), and reassured residents that the sports ovals at Windsor Park would not be affected.
Many respondents questioned whether the new bridge could link up to University Way.
The report confirmed that connection site had been considered, but explained that river depth and the need for 22 metres' clearance for vessels rendered it unsuitable.
Concerns also emerged about how a new bridge would impact the Tamar Wetlands, which is likely to be examined in further detail as the project progresses.
The report said community feedback - including preferred options - would be factored into the updated business case.
"It is expected that the business case will be presented to Infrastructure Australia in 2026 to support the request for funding for construction of the second Kanamaluka / River Tamar Crossing," the report said.
"Potentially impacted landowners will be kept updated throughout the further planning and design stages."