Maitland Council have finally had enough of a break in the wet weather to complete repairs on the notorious Melville Ford Bridge.
The Hunter River crossing near Aberglasslyn has been shut numerous times this year. It sustained damage due to record rainfall and flooding in July, and was reopened for just two days in September before it was closed again.
“The rise and fall of the river over the past months has made it difficult for us to make headway in these efforts, with some serious damage to the road, approaches, and surrounding landscape making it an unsafe route,” Council said in a post to Facebook.
Despite the hampered recovery process caused by continued river level fluctuations, crews have managed to clean up the area and finalise repairs to make the crossing safe for traffic once more.
The Melville Ford Bridge was officially reopened on Tuesday afternoon just in time for the holidays.