It's the end of an era for Lismore's timber bridges. Lismore City Council will replace 10 of the city's ageing bridges with almost $10 million funding from a State Government grant.

Lismore City Mayor Vanessa Ekins said the bridges across the Local Government Area are nearing the end of their life and the funding from the NSW Fixing Country Bridges Program announcement was welcomed.

“This State Government grant to fund the replacement of ten of our ageing wooden bridges with concrete structures is great news for our community,” Cr Ekins said.

“Even though I am sad to see the old timber bridges go as they have so much history and character, these bridges are important access routes for local farming families and link our villages to allow residents to easily and safe travel to their jobs, schools and hospitals.”

The bridges that will be replace are Sexton Bridge at Monaltrie, Tucki Bridge at Marom Creek, Bungabbee Bridge at Bungabbee, Town Bridge at Terania Creek, Walsh Bridge at Blakebrook, Boomerang Bridge at Corndale, Greens Bridge at Nimbin, Ridgewood Bridge at Rosebank, Dudgeon Bridge at Keerrong and Henson Bridge at Nimbin.

Local Nationals Member of the Legislative Council Ben Franklin said building new bridges to connect our road networks and towns was important for community safety.

“Many of the original timber bridges left across the Northern Rivers no-longer safely meet the community’s needs and it is important that they are replaced,” Mr Franklin said.

“We need to have structures in our towns that allow produce to be freighted across the state without vehicle weight limits.

“We also need to have structures that allow for at least two lanes of traffic for people to get to work, get to school and for drivers to feel confident on the road.

“Lismore is a major town in the Northern Rivers that is the gateway to the North West of the State. Replacing these bridges is vital to support movement and connectivity across Northern NSW.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the NSW Government had accelerated funding for the program with more than $290 million shared across 54 councils in round one.

“That’s hundreds of fast-tracked projects that will start across the state in the next 12 months, helping councils to create and support jobs, drive productivity and keep our regional communities connected,” Mr Toole said.