The largest transport infrastructure project ever undertaken in northern Victoria and southern NSW – the $323.7 million Echuca-Moama Bridge – is set to open to traffic before the Easter holidays, months ahead of schedule.
The new river crossing, which will connect the Murray Valley Highway in Echuca with the Cobb Highway in Moama, will be opened at a special community event on Sunday, 10 April.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce said the Echuca-Moama Bridge Project would deliver significant travel and economic benefits to the region.
“This is what the Nationals are about – delivering the projects that our regions need, to make them and our nation as strong as possible as quickly as possible,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“We fought for the funding for the new Echuca-Moama Bridge and we secured it. And now we’ve delivered the biggest transport infrastructure project this region has seen.
“This is a once-in-a-generation project that will transform this region, keeping commuters moving and freight flowing to our ports, helping our nation get paid for the products we produce.
“We’ve already seen its economic impact during construction, with the project supporting more than 400 direct jobs and up to 1,400 indirect jobs.
“It’s projects like this that make our nation wealthier and stronger.”
Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan said the new river crossing would be warmly welcomed by the local community in Echuca and Moama.
“The community has been waiting for decades for a second river crossing to better connect Echuca and Moama and we’re delighted to be able to deliver that for them months ahead of schedule,” Minister Allan said.
“I look forward to standing there with the community and celebrating the opening of a landmark project that will keep Echuca and Moama moving for decades to come.”
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway said one of the project’s most important legacies would be creating a significant long-standing connection between NSW and Victoria.
“The new river crossing will provide an essential tourism link between Victoria and NSW, with the more than one million people who visit this popular tourist hot spot annually now able to commute between both towns far more easily,” Mr Farraway said.
The Echuca-Moama Bridge Project is jointly funded by the Australian, Victorian and NSW governments.
More information on the project can be found at regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au.
