Cuttagee Bridge is a heritage item in Bega Valley Shire Council’s Local Environmental Plan 2013. Photo: David Rogers Photography.
In March 2023 Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison made an election commitment of $15 million towards the repair and restoration of the single-lane Cuttagee Bridge.
In November 2025 Bega Valley Shire Council voted to replace the bridge with a two-lane concrete and steel structure.
That decision went against a petition with almost 15,000 signatures that was started in 2021 and community surveys that council conducted in 2025 as required by the funding agreement.
Emails, letters and text messages between senior council staff and senior Transport for NSW staff between December 2023 and February 2024 show that council encouraged TfNSW down the path of a two-lane concrete structure from the beginning. The communications show there was no intention to honour the minister’s commitment to “repair and restore” the 133-year-old bridge in line with its “heritage values“.
The newly formed Restore the Cuttagee Bridge Group obtained the materials under the Government Information Public Access Act.
On 18 December 2023 council wrote to a TfNSW regional director. Council said it “must now make decisions about how to manage the renewal or replacement of this bridge for the benefit of the whole community into the future”.
“As this is a high-profile, high-risk and politically charged project I am very happy to discuss with you and others how best to deliver on this election promise for the benefit of all and to understand what is possible and what is not,” council said.
Council forwarded the letter to a senior TfNSW staff member on 22 December 2023, who forwarded it to another senior TfNSW staff member on 10 January 2024.
Originally built in 1892, Cuttagee Bridge is a one-lane heritage bridge. Picture: BVSC.
In a 20 January 2024 email, one sent her notes to the other from a meeting with council staff on 11 January.
“Not repair and restore. Council preference replace with two lane with nod to historic components,” she wrote. “Need resilience and safety fire-first responders. Repair and restore not agreeable. Council’s preference is an options study for the future replacement of crossing at Cuttagee.
“100-year life would be seven-metre increase in height,” she said. “Bigger vehicles can go over Cuttagee, but then can’t go over the rest of them. Cuttagee is only one part of the strategy for all the bridges.”
On 12 January 2024 TfNSW emailed council, attaching its “first pass” at the edited funding agreement. It said Milestone 1 was delivery of an options assessment – options study for the future replacement of crossing at Cuttagee, including scoping and concept design. Milestone 4 was amended to completion of the bridge crossing replacement works. Repair and restoration were deleted.
This first revision of the funding agreement talking about replacement, not repair and restoration, appears to be when the modern design standards were included in the agreement.
On 17 January TfNSW emailed council attaching the second revision of the agreement. A marked-up comment at the very beginning asks, “given we can’t comply with the intent or standards implicit in the document if we go down a repair and restore path should we be stating it up front?”
A marked-up comment replied, “my understanding is that given the words in the election commitment, we have to reiterate them here but will have the necessary movement as a result of the Options piece”.
The deed said, “during the 2023 NSW state election period a commitment was made to provide $15 million for Cuttagee Bridge repair and restoration works”. A marked-up comment next to it said, “As above noting that this was the political announcement so probably needs to be in there somewhere”.
On 31 January 2024 there were text messages between council and TfNSW. “Can I amend the deed this afternoon. Council have resolved to accept the money but only progress with a two-lane concrete bridge. This will save time and effort in M1.”
The response was “Please do. I know they accepted it. I was in the back rows. Well done”.
On 1 February 2024 Bega Valley Shire Council issued a press release about its acceptance of the $15 million funding.
“We all like the appeal of a single-lane timber bridge, but the fact remains that a two-lane concrete structure will outlast a timber bridge by several decades …” it said.
Minister Aitchison met council on 15 February 2024. The following day council issued another press release. It said council had reached an agreement to consult with the community on three design choices, including a two-lane concrete structure, a two-lane concrete and timber hybrid option and a single-lane hybrid design.
What followed is well documented. The community’s views were sidelined, and the intent of the minister’s election commitment thwarted.
