[3] It was built 4 m higher than the Houghton bridge,[4] in order to improve its resilience to storm surges.

[6] After the original design was finalised, bridges of similar design were extensively damaged by storm surges caused by Hurricane Katrina, and it was necessary to redesign the bridge to be storm-surge resilient, involving raising the deck level by 4 metres.

The revised design is distinctly different from the original plan, which was for a similar structure to the Houghton bridge.

[7] Its location was shifted to the east side of the Houghton bridge in order to provide it with some level of storm surge protection Increases in the cost of construction materials and labour, changes to the scope of the project following technical investigations and community consultation, extra costs associated with the removal of the Hornibrook bridge, as well as design improvements spurred by the events of Hurricane Katrina meant the total cost increased to $315 million, compared with the $149 million estimated in 2004.

The southern and northern abutment of the bridge included land reclamation works involving a seawall and embankment.