The Echuca-Moama Bridge Project, a joint-venture between the Federal, NSW and Victorian governments, finished ahead of schedule this time 12 months ago and involved the completion of a connecting bridge between the twin towns, as well as one over the Campaspe River.
Major Road Projects Victoria project director Adrian Furner said the area was already seeing the effects of the increase in local infrastructure, with an average of four minutes being saved in evening commute times either way when travelling over the Moama-Echuca connecting bridge.
“Vehicles taking the new river crossing during the morning peak instead of the pre-existing Murray River bridge route are saving up to three and a half minutes,” he said.
Mr Furner said an important component of the project was the way it worked with local First Nations leaders and businesses to ensure it was as inclusive as possible. This included naming the bridges after Yorta Yorta words for the Murray and Campaspe rivers, as well as having a focus on employing local First Nations residents.
“We had close engagement with our local Indigenous communities, and we were able to employ a peak of 7.3 per cent of the workforce being Aboriginal participation,” he said.
This was almost three times the targeted First Nations employment rate of 2.5 per cent.
The story that inspired the names chosen for both bridges, Dhungala Bridge and Yakoa Bridge, has been told through the Dreamtime-themed artwork, Dhungala Dreaming, created by local Yorta Yorta elder Aunty Judy Atkinson.
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