The Tasman Bridge is a five-lane bridge which crosses the Derwent River, near the central business district of Hobart, Tasmania. The bridge replaced a 1943 floating concrete bridge which had a liftable middle section to allow ships to pass through. Work began on the Tasman Bridge in April 1960, and it was finished on 23 December, 1964. It was officially opened by the Duke of Gloucester on 18 March, 1965. It was named after Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer who was the first European to visit Tasmania in 1642.