Kendall Jennings, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Helen Dalton held a community meeting at the Tooleybuc Sporting Club on Thursday, April 14 to address concerns with residents that the Tooleybuc Bridge would be hard closed for six weeks to complete repair works. With the bridge being a lifeline for the border community and the major transport route for trucks travelling to and from Adelaide to Sydney, locals feared that the closure would be the final nail in the coffin for local businesses. Residents and business owners are concerned with the loss of work opportunities in an already struggling area.

“We have been out and about in the electorate. I veered off to Tooleybuc as I heard there is a huge issue with the bridge. Because we had gone through the bridge closures during COVID-19, I know how important the bridges are and need to be opened and functioning for people to be able to move from Victoria to New South Wales and vice versa,” said NSW Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton.

“Farraway’s office is aware of the issue. I rang his senior policy advisor. He is being made aware of that, and we will put immense pressure on them with their solution to shut the bridge. It is not tenable at all. That has to come off the table and advocate for a new bridge – not 20 years’ time – right now,” she said.

The Tooleybuc Bridge closure will force interstate B Double trucks to travel extra kilometres through Euston, Swan Hill or Barham, and make residents travel to Nyah, changing a five-minute drive to a half hour drive. The Tooleybuc Post Office will have special permission to cross the bridge as the Australia Post system cannot be interrupted.

Peter Walsh, the Victorian Nationals leader and member for Murray Plains, said, “A number of people rang me about it as there was an overzealous project officer that went and told people it was going to happen.

“To the NSW Minister’s credit, Sam Farraway, when I rang his office, he organised a Zoom meeting with the NSW Department of Transport officials, and they realised they had said things before it was all organised. So, they are going to go back with a detailed consultation with the community. It won’t be until early June. 

“That is when they have worked out the least impact to the community, particularly for different harvests. They are going to look at where they can divert traffic to be practical, like trucks coming from South Australia should be diverted when they get to Manangatang, rather than getting to the bridge, and those sorts of things that will all be investigated. 

“They have to do some pylon work, and they have to have heavy machinery on the bridge, which is why they have to close it and get it done.”  

A Tooleybuc Bridge stakeholder received an email on Tuesday, April 19 from Transport For NSW (TFNSW). “Work to repair the support piers and baileys on Tooleybuc Bridge is needed to improve safety and ensure the bridge can remain open for transport customers and heavy vehicles. Delays to this work are likely to result in longer term closures or load limits.

 “As this is high impact work, Transport is proposing to carry the project out under a six-week bridge closure. We acknowledge closing the bridge for this length of time is inconvenient, however, is the fastest and most efficient way to complete this work.

“Start of work is currently planned for early June. Following community feedback in previous years, we understand winter is the best time for work to be carried out at Tooleybuc, due to harvest periods in summer, spring and autumn.”

There have been debates about the Tooleybuc Bridge, which was earmarked for a new bridge, with resident houses being compulsorily acquired to make way for the bridge site. The project has been stalled as Swan Hill also wants a new bridge. However, its heritage listing has halted the process, even though in 2019, Michael McCormack (then Deputy Prime Minister) and then Candidate for Mallee, Anne Webster, announced $60 million to replace the Swan Hill bridge.

“I’d like to refer this matter to ICAC. It seems very odd the NSW Govt committed to a bridge in 2012, then suddenly changed their mind in 2019 – putting community safety at risk,” said Helen.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 28 April 2022.