The bridge was designed and built by the New South Wales Public Works Department with steelwork from Clyde Engineering.

The department decided to construct the bridge itself after being unhappy with the high cost proposed by private tenderers for the project.

The bridge heritage listing also includes the three remnant spans of the 1915 timber viaduct south of Grafton railway station, which now remain in situ amidst parkland.

Opening of the bridge in 1932 completed the North coast standard gauge line between Sydney and Brisbane, avoiding the winding route via Tenterfield.

[2] The Grafton Bridge was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

[4] This Wikipedia article contains material from Grafton rail and road bridge over Clarence River, entry number 01036 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.