“Needs major work”: What’s happening with Allansford’s 90-year-old bridge?
Engineering assessments in 2024 found the bridge was in “poor” condition, with Mayor Ben Blain noting almost every feature of the structure required “major work”.
Zara Cuthbertson
February 12, 2026
Allansford’s Ziegler Parade bridge will close for 12 weeks from February 23, as Warrnambool City Council undertakes major maintenance works on the ageing structure.
The bridge is expected to reopen in mid-May, with works forming part of the council’s commitment to spend up to $400,000 maintaining the crossing through to the end of 2029.
Council says roughly 1,000 vehicles per day use the bridge when commuting to Warrnambool due to its direct access onto the Princes Highway, without turns and with the advantage of a merging lane.
A big task: Warrnambool City Council Mayor Ben Blain said in a statement this week the bridge needed serious repairs.
“At 8.2 metres high and 51.6 metres long, it’s the tallest and second-longest Council-managed bridge in the municipality,” Blain said. “Just about every part of the bridge other than the road surface needs major work.”
What’s wrong with it? Repairs will be made to 25 columns, five crossheads, 20 beams and 15 diaphragms, along with sections of the underside of the deck and bluestone at the abutments and piers.
An engineering assessment in 2024 rated the bridge’s overall condition as “poor”, citing the combined impacts of ageing and environmental exposure.
The structure retains original 1930s-era concrete barriers that do not meet current bridge safety standards.
Cracking and concrete spalling are already evident.
End of life: Blain said the bridge was nearing the end of its usable life, prompting the temporary closure.
“It’s not a case of setting a closure date and leaving the bridge until then,” said Blain. “The bridge needs significant maintenance to get to the end of 2029 and even then it will be monitored closely to ensure it remains safe.”
What happens after 2029: Councillors voted in May to permanently close the bridge on December 31, 2029, unless “closure is otherwise required before this date”.
Officers recommended the council allow for a "decommissioning process” and to work with the Department of Transport and Planning on improvements to the Garibaldi Lane and Princes Highway intersections to ensure the bridge closes to all traffic no later than 2030.
No new bridge: Despite the planned closure, the council says it’s not in a position to “fund a replacement bridge”, with another modern bridge already located on the Princes Highway towards Warrnambool near Ziegler Parade.
In 2016, councillors had set aside a budget of $1.2 million, of which $600,000 was a federal government grant, to upgrade the existing bridge to a capacity of 42.5 tonne, instead of 14.
Because of structural issues, the existing structure was unable to be upgraded to the designated load limit and councillors voted in December 2017 to return the federal grant funds.
External funding for a new structure was not considered viable, with the council opting to improve the alternate access route to Allansford via Garibaldi Lane and Grauers Road ahead of the bridge’s permanent closure.