It was built by Vincent County engineer Leslie Duncan Macgeorge in 1882, and was a suspension bridge.

[1] The east side abutment was made of masonry in a solid mass consisting of blocks of stone placed on piles made of totara wood and black pine.

The Alexandra Pipe Band marched across the bridge as part of the opening celebrations on 1 June 1882, and also to mark the official closing on the same day that the new bridge opened on 5 July 1958.

It is a steel truss arch bridge and part of New Zealand State Highway 8.

The old bridge was a single lane, which was insufficient to handle the increasing amount of traffic.

The work, most of which will be conducted underneath the bridge, will involve the installation of large steel beams.