The new rail overpass bridge at Wallendbeen will open to traffic next week. Photo: Transport for NSW.
After almost four years of detours and disruption, the Wallendbeen community is about to celebrate a long-awaited milestone.
From Thursday (11 September), traffic heading east and west along Burley Griffin Way will be diverted to a new permanent rail overbridge, signalling the end of the single-lane structure that has served the town and the wider region since the early 1900s.
Burley Griffin Way is a key route on the regional road network, linking the Hume Highway to the Riverina and the Olympic and Newell highways.
For more than a century, that route was carried across the rail line by a single-lane bridge that opened around 1916, a cause for frustration particularly for truck drivers transporting vital produce to markets from the Riverina region.
The timber and steel crossing supported the community for about 105 years before it was finally demolished in March 2021 after several heavy rainfalls caused irreparable damage.
With the old bridge demolished, motorists faced long detours until October 2021, when a temporary single-lane steel bridge – its 210 pieces bolted together like a giant Meccano set – was installed.
That structure kept traffic moving but was always considered a stopgap measure and wasn’t without its challenges.
In December 2024, the bridge was struck by a truck and badly damaged, forcing a full closure.
It remained shut through January while crews carried out major repairs, reopening to traffic in early February 2025.
Meanwhile, work had already begun on a permanent solution in the form of a new two-lane road-over-rail bridge, adjacent to the old bridge, in late 2022.
Following community consultation and design finalisation, early works such as drainage, retaining walls and abutments were completed between March and August 2024.
In September that year, a weekend rail shutdown saw massive girders craned into place.
By May 2025, crews were focused on the final road approaches connecting the bridge to Burley Griffin Way.
The scope of the job saw around 30,000 tonnes of fill, 30,000 tonnes of road base and 1.5 megalitres of water put to use.
This stage – covering asphalt paving, line marking, barriers, signage and drainage – is expected to finish by late 2025, weather permitting.
From 11 September, traffic will be switched to the new crossing, with a 40 km/h speed limit in place initially while finishing touches are completed.
The temporary bridge will then be dismantled over the weekend of 13-15 September, during a scheduled rail shutdown.
It will be taken down piece by piece and stored for potential reuse elsewhere in the state.
The permanent bridge represents a significant upgrade.
It is wider, stronger, and about three metres higher than the old single-lane timber bridge, providing clearance for double-stacked container trains.
Each carriageway features a 3.9-metre lane and a two-metre shoulder, making it safer for B-Doubles and heavy freight.
The abutments of the temporary bridge will remain in place and could be adapted in future for a pedestrian and cyclist crossing, if funded.
Environmental works will also see around 420 native trees, including Cootamundra wattle and several eucalypt species, planted to replace the 70 removed during construction.
Transport for NSW has advised traffic management will continue while it completes the remaining work on Silo Road and the highway road alignment including ashphalt work, barriers, line marking, signage and road furniture.
Silo Road will be closed during this period, while nearby routes – Morrisons Hill, North Jindalee and Cemetery roads – are also being realigned as part of the broader works.
NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said the project was “an exciting step toward delivering resilient infrastructure for regional communities,” adding that it would help prevent future disruption and keep freight and residents connected.
Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, who has supported the project since the collapse of the original century-old bridge, thanked locals for their patience.
She stressed that the new crossing was not just about convenience but about safety, connectivity and the local economy, calling it an investment that would serve the region for generations.
