New lighting will be installed on The Long Bridge in Maitland in the next 12 months, but there are no structural problems making the bridge unsafe to use, according to Roads and Maritime Services.
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An RMS spokesman, who responded to calls that the bridge appeared to have fallen into disrepair, said the state government took responsibility for its maintenance from Maitland City Council in 2013.
“Roads and Maritime Services inspected The Long Bridge last year and found no structural issues preventing the safe use of the bridge,” he said.
“Routine maintenance will be carried out on the bridge this financial year, including minor maintenance of the bridge joints and street lighting.”
Former Maitland councillor Ray Fairweather recently called for the High Street bridge, near Maitland Hospital, to be better maintained.
Mr Fairweather said the aesthetics and structural integrity were important to maintain because the bridge provided one a key route for traffic to get in and out of central Maitland.
He said the bridge looked “run down” and needed a paint job, new road surface and nearby trees needed to be trimmed.
The bridge became the only flood-free route for traffic from the west to access central Maitland during the city’s last major flood in 2007, which cut the New England Highway between Maitland train station and the Trzecinski Bridge.
