The alignment alongside the rail crossing over Lake Mulwala attracted 3159 votes compared to only 968 for the grey route alignment on the existing bridge route linking Melbourne Street in Mulwala to Belmore Street in Yarrawonga.

A total of 843 informal votes were recorded.

The purpose of the plebiscite was to determine the Yarrawonga community’s preference on the bridge alignment and it was conducted in the postcode boundaries of 3730 and 3728.

The plebiscite is non-binding, but could lead to a major re-think on the route by VicRoads which has been advocating for the grey route and the removal of the existing traffic bridge.

The former Corowa Shire had also been a strong supporter of the grey route, but pressure is building on the newly created Federation Council to re-visit the issue.

Green route community group spokesman John Lawless welcomed the result.

“We have been in discussions with the Andrews Government and VicRoads for a few months now and they have a much better understanding of the problems with the grey route,” he said.

“We will be continuing those talks with both parties with the aim of getting the bridge built on the green route as soon as possible.

“The major problem with the grey route is it can’t be designed to take the trucks of the future.

“No government of any persuasion is going to spend $120 million on a major river crossing that won’t be able to be used by freight trucks in 10 years time.”

Voting closed last Friday after 8824 ballots were sent to residents by the VEC.

Moira Shire chief executive Mark Henderson welcomed the high participation rate in the plebiscite.

“We are pleased the Yarrawonga community took the opportunity to send a very clear message to the key decision makers,” he said.

“I would like to thank the residents for taking part in this very important issue and for engaging in a respectful debate.”