It’s been the bane of motorists’ existence for the past month, but all four lanes are now finally open at Tarro.
Urgent repairs were completed early on Monday 30 October to allow the busy thoroughfare to “return to normal” along the New England Highway.
Speed limit, heavy vehicle and lane restrictions were lifted for Newcastle and Port Stephens-bound traffic on Wednesday night.
However, persistent rainfall halted the completion of southbound side work to relieve motorists driving towards Maitland.
Following days of wet weather, Transport for NSW crews were able to resume operations about 9pm on Sunday night (29 October) to complete the necessary repairs to the deck of the bridge, which were required to reopen the bridge safely.
Transport for NSW regional director north Anna Zycki said the organisation had prioritised the urgent work.
“We acknowledge the impacts these restrictions have had on everyone,” she stated.
“But, motorists and freight operators across the Hunter will experience smoother journeys again after restrictions were lifted across all four lanes on Tarro Rail Bridge upon the completion of the critical repair work overnight.
“We would like to thank the community for its patience while we worked to return the bridge to normal operating conditions safely.”
Further non-urgent works, including ongoing maintenance to the bridge, will be undertaken at a later stage and managed to minimise further disruption to traffic.
The extra passenger train services added to the Hunter Line between Newcastle and Maitland, put on to meet increased rail patronage while restrictions were placed on the bridge, will continue and be reviewed by NSW TrainLink this week.
The two additional daily weekday services in the AM and PM peak periods will run until further notice, as will the addition of express trains stopping at all stations.
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