The wide loads, under the guidance of police, RTA and four escort vehicles, made their way along the Hume Freeway just after 11am and again about an hour later.

Traffic was banked back up to a kilometre behind the load as it travelled through Albury.

A third and final deck is expected to make the journey from Wodonga’s Butko Engineering to Norske Skog at Ettamogah today.

Butko general manager John McRae said the heavy haulage was not without its problems.

“The width of the loads meant we had to go via Logic at Barnawartha and then back past the factory along the freeway,” he said.

“The new bridge which leads to the freeway off Moloney Drive is too narrow and we would have either had to knock down a light pole or the pedestrian walkway.”

The first deck was eight metres wide and weighed 19 tonnes while the second was 14.5 metres long and weighed 32 tonnes.

Mr McRae said the decks will be used to carry loads of freshly cut pines into the de-barking barrel at the mill’s wood yard.