Heritage and conservation register

The significance lies in its form, materials, location and historical association, and the remnants of previous bridge construction at this site..

This bridge has been assessed as being of Local significance.

The bridge is extremely similar in design to the Jingellic bridge, also built in 1959. The main span is a pair of riveted steel trusses spanning 36.9m supported by moving bearings at one end and framed bearings at the other. The substructure at both ends of the main span consists of circular concrete piers excavated to shale.

The bridge originally had seven approach spans (three on the NSW side and four on the Victorian side), then in 1969, five 12.2m spans were added to the NSW side to increase the total number of approach spans to twelve. The approach spans have concrete decks laid onto steel bridge girders spanning between concrete trestles. The trestles consist of a reinforced concrete headstock supported on driven square concrete piles in sets of five. The outer piles batter upstream and downstream.

There is no footway included in the design, however there are two pedestrian refuges on the northern side, one either side of the main span.

There is evidence of a previous bridge at the site. The remnants consist of steel or iron trestles standing in the river without superstructure. The river is not considered navigable at this point.

Across the river in New South Wales, Welaregang lay amidst the granitic and slatey hills and was still in the 1860s accessible only on horseback. Its population was only twenty in 1866 but built up sufficiently to warrant a provisional school in 1873. But the school closed in 1879 from lack of support and Welaregang remained a marginal service centre for scattered grazing runs.

There was a punt at Tintaldra until 1892 built and operated by Christy Vogel. At this time the first bridge was built.

The river crossing by the twentieth century was by a pair of timber bridges connected by an embankment, giving access from Tintaldra to Welaregang, Tooma and Tumbarumba. In 1959 these were demolished and replaced by the present concrete bridge. In 1969 it was extended at the New South Wales end.

Photographs of the old bridges are in the possession of the proprietor of the Tintaldra Store and Tearooms.