Workers began putting the seven remaining 16.5 m-long beams in place on the Wodonga-bound side of the causeway just after 7pm as part of the $181 million rail bypass project.

The road was closed to traffic from 7 pm until 6 am last Saturday night and on Thursday night.

But Australian Rail Track Corporation spokesman Brian Dale said the road would be shut for an extra hour, to reopen at 7am today, in a bid to get all beams in place.

“Normally we were looking at doing five, then five, then six, but that’s all changed and now we’ve got seven to go,” he said.

“The aim is to get the Wodonga-bound ones in place, plus anything else that needs to be done.”

Mr Dale said if the work was not completed by this morning it would be done tomorrow night, with the authority of the RTA, VicRoads and Albury and Wodonga councils.

The beams, which weigh about 40 tonnes, will carry the two standard-gauge tracks 5m above the causeway.