Swan Hill Bridge

Find out more about what we have been working on and what is next for the Swan Hill Bridge. We will continue to update the community as planning progresses.

See the July 2021 community update (PDF, 849Kb) to find out how we are working to build you the best bridge possible.

Between 2007 and 2009, the Victorian Department of Transport (formerly VicRoads) led investigations to identify the best location for a new river crossing.

Following a comprehensive planning process and extensive community consultation, the NSW and Victorian governments endorsed Option 9a as the preferred route for a future bridge in 2012. Option 9a involves building an intermediate level bridge upstream of the existing bridge. 

In 2012, the NSW Government published Timber Truss Road Bridges - A Strategic Approach to Conservation. This document identified 26 timber truss bridges constructed in NSW between 1860 and 1936 that met, or could be upgraded to meet, the operational needs of the communities they service.

This strategy identified that Swan Hill Bridge was to be retained. In 2019 Swan Hill Bridge’s status was changed and it was added to the list of bridges to be removed.

This opens the door to the possibility of building a new crossing on the same alignment as the current bridge, known as the McCallum Street option.

In late 2020 community consultation was carried out to understand the community’s alignment preference, between the McCallum Street option and Option 9A.

Planning will continue for the new bridge, focusing on the McCallum Street option and Transport for NSW has begun preliminary designs.

The community will be consulted again later this year to understand the preferred design option.

We will continue to keep the community updated as planning progresses.

A series of essential maintenance projects has been carried out on Swan Hill Bridge since 2016.

The first stage of work involved installing temporary support structures (baileys) on the NSW side to adequately strengthen the bridge for expected increased loading over the harvest season.

Trees that posed a risk of falling onto the bridge and reduced the visibility for motorists were also removed.

Temporary support structures were installed on the Victorian side of the bridge in October 2015. Work included installing a temporary pedestrian walkway.

The second stage of maintenance started in March 2018.

This work was put on hold in October 2018 to avoid impacting the local harvest season.

Unfortunately work to install the external support structures progressed slowly as the complexity of the steel and timber repairs on the 120-year-old bridge was much greater than expected.

Transport for NSW returned to Swan Hill Bridge in 2019. Work involved strengthening the existing structure and removing the width restriction.

The internal support structure was removed, transferring the bridge’s weight to an external, 110-tonne structure, made up of over 8000 bolts and 4000 individual pieces of steel.

In May 2020 maintenance works on the bridge included installing new piers and improving the road surface.

The next stage of maintenance work will be carried out from Monday 19 April and is expected to be complete in late June, weather permitting.

We will continue to keep the community informed as maintenance work is carried out.

The existing bridge needs to be maintained to ensure it remains safe and serviceable for as long as required while planning on a new bridge progresses.

Load limits and restrictions

Given the age of Swan Hill Bridge and lengthy detour routes needed if bridge access is removed, the bridge is rated to General Mass Limit (GML) vehicles to protect it from damage from overloaded vehicles.

A single non-compliant vehicle can affect both the short-term behaviour of the bridge as well as the long-term performance.

For all Oversize Overmass enquiries, please contact 1300 656 371.

For more information about accessibility and limits on NSW roads and bridges, see the NSW Oversize Overmass Load Carrying Vehicles Network map.

• July 2021 community update

  Planning for a future Murray River crossing at Swan Hill.

• March 2021 project notification

  Walkway replacement Swan Hill Bridge from 19 April 2021.

• Community summary feedback report

  May 2021.

• Review of Environmental Factors

  Swan Hill Bridge Maintenance Project – Stages 1c, 1d & 1e.

• 22 May 2021
  Preferred alignment released for Murray River crossing at Swan Hill.