Tarro Rail Bridge repairs: all lanes reopen on the New England Highway

All lanes have opened after urgent repairs were finished early on Monday, October 30.

Speed limit, heavy vehicle and lane restrictions were lifted for Newcastle and Port Stephens bound traffic on Wednesday, but wet weather put a dampener on the reopening and pushed back the southbound work.

"Motorists and freight operators across the Hunter will experience smoother journeys after restrictions were lifted across all four lanes," Transport for NSW regional director north Anna Zycki said.

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"Transport for NSW acknowledges the impacts these restrictions have had on motorists and thank the community and freight operators for their patience while we worked to return the bridge to normal operating conditions safely."

Further non-urgent works, including ongoing maintenance to the bridge, will still need to be undertaken at a later stage.

The extra passenger train services added to the Hunter Line between Newcastle and Maitland will continue and be reviewed by NSW TrainLink this week.

The two additional daily weekday services in the AM and PM peak periods will run until further notice, as will the addition of express trains stopping at all stations.

There has been traffic gridlock on the stretch of road connecting Maitland and Newcastle since the two outside lanes of the Tarro Rail Bridge were suddenly closed for urgent repairs earlier this month.

The defect related to a structural issue with the columns that were supporting the outer lanes.