A Mernda stalwart and descendant of local pioneers has praised Major Road Projects Victoria and its Bridge Inn Road Upgrade.
Neil Johnson (pictured in banner image) is thrilled the upgrade will improve safety and travel time reliability but he’s particularly rapt it will also retain and repurpose an historic bluestone bridge over Plenty River.
He says turning the 157-year-old bridge into a dedicated path for walkers and cyclists will benefit the community for generations to come.
Mr Johnson’s great-great-great grandfather, Moses Thomas (pictured inset), officially opened the bluestone bridge in 1867 in one of his many contributions to the area’s early community infrastructure.
A father of 18, Moses Thomas built the local Presbyterian church, the area’s first state school, and the original Bridge Inn Hotel. He also operated a flour mill on the banks of the Plenty River.
The Bridge Inn Road Upgrade is building a new 4 lane bridge over the river for vehicles and is converting the bluestone bridge into a shared walking and cycling path.
When complete, the repurposed bridge will link with other shared walking and cycling paths to provide better connections for active transport in the area.
The new bridge, between Mernda and Doreen, opened with 1 lane in each direction in December 2023. All 4 lanes on the 68-metre bridge are expected to be open later in 2024.
The project team will soon turn its focus to the bluestone bridge, preparing it for pedestrians and cyclists.
The bridge and path works complement the upgrade’s construction of extra lanes in both directions between Plenty and Yan Yean roads.
The upgrade will deliver safer, more reliable travel along Bridge Inn Road while improving access to Mernda’s train station and town centre.
The upgrade will also reduce congestion and bring down travel times while boosting safety and connecting communities across the growing outer northern suburbs.
For more information about the upgrade, view Bridge Inn Road Upgrade.
Historical image of the bluestone bridge over Plenty River which was officially opened by Moses Thomas in 1867.