Rugby league legend Darren Lockyer has been recruited to front a new advertising campaign promoting the renewal of Brisbane’s Story Bridge, as the city works towards finalising a business case for a project expected to cost about $3.6 billion over 20 years.
Read: Under The Story Bridge: The E-Scooters Hidden In Brisbane River
The campaign, titled “A Good Story Needs a Sequel,” features Lockyer on top of the bridge and uses historical imagery from its construction, natural disasters, and major Brisbane events including Riverfire and football grand finals.
The campaign comes as Brisbane promotes its proposed renewal plan and works towards finalising the business case for the ageing heritage-listed structure.
Why the renewal costs billions
The Story Bridge opened in 1940 and is now more than 86 years old. It was built for a very different Brisbane and is approaching the end of its original design life.
Today, the bridge carries about 100,000 vehicles each day, as well as thousands of pedestrians and cyclists. Brisbane says it handles around 10 times more daily traffic than when it first opened, including modern cars, buses, freight and commercial vehicles, some weighing up to 42.5 tonnes.
More than $120 million has been spent on bridge maintenance over the past 20 years, alongside other improvement and renewal works. However, BCC said ongoing maintenance alone will not be sufficient. Engineering investigations indicate that a full renewal is needed to extend the bridge’s service life into the future.
The proposed program includes major steel and concrete repairs, replacement of ageing components, improvements to bridge access and upgrades to essential services. The work would be staged over two decades, balancing engineering requirements, heritage considerations and the practical challenges of working on a live transport route.
Renewal versus replacement
The $3.6 billion estimate covers a long-term renewal program rather than a single construction project. Business case investigations indicate that replacing the Story Bridge with a new structure would not be a practical or realistic alternative. A new bridge on the same constrained inner-city alignment could cost more than $8.5 billion, while decommissioning the existing bridge alone is estimated at about $740 million.
Renewal is therefore being pursued as the preferred long-term option. Brisbane local officials said doing nothing would also have consequences, including increased congestion on the road network and greater reliance on toll roads.
The proposed renewal is designed to preserve the existing bridge while addressing the structural and operational work needed to keep it functioning for decades to come.
The funding challenge
The current business case indicates that about $1.35 billion would be required before 2032 as part of the broader renewal program.
Brisbane has committed $135 million through to 2032 for priority works and says the full renewal needs funding from all levels of government. The city is seeking support from the Australian authorities as the business case progresses.
The draft business case has been completed, with feedback from Infrastructure Australia to be sought before it is formally released later in 2026. Minor renewal works are expected to begin in late 2026, with major renewal works scheduled from late 2027, subject to funding availability.
Read: QUT Team Supports Predictive Maintenance System for Story Bridge
For Kangaroo Point, the Story Bridge is both a familiar landmark and a major transport connection. The Lockyer campaign is promoting the case for renewal as Brisbane works to secure the funding required to keep one of the city’s best-known structures operating for generations to come.
Published 21-August-2026
