The bridge was damaged in floods in 1949 and 1950. It was repaired with the timber trestles replaced by 1880s vintage wrought ironWarren trusses formerly used on the Main Western railway line between Parramatta and Penrith.[2] It was proposed to replace the entire bridge, but this proposal had been abandoned by 1953.[3][4]
In 1966 the bridge spans were raised by one metre (three feet) due to the 1950s floods, with new pre-cast concrete approaches constructed..[5]
Description
The bridge is a steel Pratt truss bridge with consisting of three 61-metre (200 ft) steel spans and two 20-metre (66 ft) plate girder spans. It was built with steel approaches, with the pre-cast concrete approaches added later when the bridge was raised.[5][6]
When opened in 1917, the crossing of the river was achieved by three 61-metre (200 ft) steel truss spans, approached by timber trestles. After two floods in 1949 and in 1950, the steel trusses were raised approximately one metre (three feet) and the approaches replaced by pre-stressed concrete spans. It was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[5]