Mr Roozendaal, who inspected the site with Member for Kiama Matt Brown and Member for Shellharbour Lylea McMahon, said girders for the new Flinders Rail Overbridge were erected over the weekend in a round the clock operation that required one of Australia’s largest cranes.

“This is a challenging engineering operation and the work carried out over the weekend is an excellent demonstration of the level of expertise and resources involved in making it happen,” Mr Roozendaal said.

“The new bridge girders were lifted up over the railway in a 40-hour operation from Friday night to Sunday night. The girders will now form the support beams for the new bridge.

“The Gottwald AK850 crane used for the operation is the largest of its kind in Australia. It took almost a week to assemble it, and it’ll take about the same time to dismantle it.”

Mr Brown said the RTA had liaised closely with RailCorp to time the erection of the girders with a scheduled rail closure to minimise the impact on commuters.

“This is a great example of government agencies working together to get the job done,”

Mr Brown said. “This is a key infrastructure project for the South Coast community and I would like to thank local residents for their patience over the last week, while extended work hours were in operation.

“This project proves that the Iemma Government is committed to delivering new and improved roads infrastructure for the hardworking families in the South Coast.”

Ms McMahon said that the entire project was on track to open to traffic late next year.

“The project involves the construction of a four lane divided carriageway from Oak Flats to Dunmore, the upgrade of the southern end of Shellharbour Road to four lanes and a grade separated interchange with Shellharbour Road,” Ms McMahon said.

“The new highway will link the Oak Flats Interchange to the North Kiama Bypass, providing a four lane highway from Sydney to south of Kiama.

“When it’s finished, motorists will benefit from fewer delays during peak periods and improved travel times between the South Coast and Sydney on a safer and more reliable route.”