Eunony Bridge upgrade completed after small delay, council reopens to traffic

Wagga City Council has unveiled its $10.6 million Eunony Bridge upgrade after seven months of community anticipation.

The revamped bridge has been widened and strengthened so it can be used by any vehicle crossing the Murrumbidgee River, using funding from Council as well as NSW and federal governments.

Council infrastructure supervisor Matt Casley said the new bridge, which opened for traffic at 6am on September 2, should provide infrastructure benefits to Wagga and the wider region.

Mr Casley said the bridge's proximity to the Bomen industrial precinct and the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics (RiFL) Hub meant it was a key piece of infrastructure that would help ease heavy traffic on Wagga's central roads.

"We've seen a bit of disruption in the general vehicle movements in Wagga and now this will open that back up for the general community as well," he said.

"So all in all it will be good for everyone."

Eunony Bridge closed on February 14 and was initially anticipated to reopen at the end of July, though it was pushed back due to equipment theft and bad weather.

The bridge is expected to form part of the Wagga High Productivity Freight Route and provide better connections to the Olympic Highway.

BMD Constructions project manager Damien McConville said it had been a technically complex and challenging project which required 40,000 hours of manpower.

"Which is a massive amount for a project six months in length," Mr McConville said.

He said BMD, the bridge's principal contractor, implemented a seven day working week to complete the project in close to the allocated time frame.

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"We were very aware of the importance of this bridge and the strain that it would put on the community and the surrounding infrastructure," he said.

"So we sought to minimise the time that it would be closed."

Mr McConville said every stage of the bridge's new design was "bespoke" and constructed as a one-off.

The council received $9.8 million in state and federal government funding towards the project.

State member for Wagga Joe McGirr called the bridge an important milestone in Wagga's development and said the community could now breathe a sigh of relief.

"If we aren't growing as a city and a region we're going backwards. And it's so refreshing to talk about growth," Dr McGirr said.

Speaking at the bridge on Wednesday, Dr McGirr congratulated everyone who had been involved in the project.

Also enlisted were construction companies Delta Group and Hawthorne Civil and a number of local businesses.

Federal Member for Riverina - and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development - Michael McCormack said the bridge upgrade was partly funded by $4.9 million from the federal government's Bridges Renewal Program.

"I have worked with the local community and industry leaders over many years and am delighted to see this vital upgrade delivered," Mr McCormack said.

"It will help reduce heavy vehicle traffic travelling through Wagga Wagga and improve safety for all road users."