McCoys Bridge on the Murray Valley Hwy at Kotupna may have reopened but, with a 20-tonne load limit in place, heavy vehicles wanting to get across the Goulburn River will still have to divert south to Shepparton.
The bridge was closed last month after flooding along the Goulburn River.
Its closure exacerbated traffic congestion across the region caused by flood-related road closures and roadworks, adding weight to calls for progress on the Shepparton bypass and for another Goulburn River crossing.
Traffic that would normally travel east-west via the Murray Valley Hwy has had to head south to use the Midland Hwy river crossing, causing significant delays and congestion through Shepparton and Mooroopna.
Since it reopened after the flood peak in October, the causeway joining Shepparton and Mooroopna has been the only heavy vehicle Goulburn River crossing between Nagambie and the Murray River.
Mooroopna transport business Valley Pack manager Taylor Hall said this had caused problems not just for transport businesses but also for residents.
“This bypass is long overdue and will improve the lives of everybody, including transport businesses like us and many others in Victoria and southern NSW,” Mr Hall said.
Department of Transport regional director Melanie Hotton said McCoys Bridge would be reopened to heavy vehicles as soon as it was safe to do so.
“We know this closure has caused significant disruption and we thank motorists for their patience while we completed these important safety assessments,” Ms Hotton said.
The Victorian Coalition had pledged $260 million to fund the Shepparton bypass if it won government at the November 26 state election, while the Federal Government confirmed more than $200 million pledged before the 2018 election was still in the budget.
At Saturday’s Victorian election, Labor was returned for a third term.
Earlier this month, the Victorian Government refused to commit to funding the bypass, calling it a “Liberal-National commonwealth election promise it broke”.
“The Shepparton bypass business case was completed by Major Road Projects Victoria by the end of 2020 as promised,” a Victorian Labor spokesperson said.
Learn more from the expert divers who inspected the underwater foundations of McCoys Bridge at https://youtu.be/UcNAnJ-ncCM