Prior to the bridge's construction, a nearby natural ford was used to cross the river.
In 1985, structural damage was caused by an overloaded truck and inspection revealed that several piles were rotten.
For safety reasons, a load limit was put in place until repairs could be carried out.
The bridge was widened to carry two lanes and the wooden piles were replaced with steel.
[3] This article incorporates text by Alison Cromb available under the CC BY SA 2.5 AU licence.