Prior to the bridges being built, river crossings were often dangerous in times of rain, which caused bulk freight movement to be prohibitively expensive for most agricultural and mining produce.

Only the high priced wool clip of the time was able to carry the costs and inconvenience imposed by the generally inadequate river crossings that often existed prior to the trusses construction.

Timber truss bridges were preferred by the Public Works Department from the mid 19th to the early 20th century because they were relatively cheap to construct, and used mostly local materials.

There are three timber approach spans at one end and two at the other giving the bridge an overall length of 72.5 metres (238 ft).

[1] The super structure was supported by timber trestles and provided a dual-lane carriage way with a minimum width of 5.5 metres (18 ft).