Yarrawonga-Mulwala residents are bracing for more disruption with major maintenance works to begin next week on the main traffic bridge connecting the two towns.
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The Murray River communities are slowly recovering from constraints put in place for border closures calls from the NSW and Victorian governments due to COVID-19.
The works were delayed by the pandemic border closures, but will start next Monday with a commitment to cease works at Easter and the April school holidays.
"The two stages of maintenance work will now be delivered concurrently, with work expected to take about nine months, weather and border changes permitting," a Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
"The past 12 months have been challenging for our local border towns and we want to get the job done, the right way, with as little impact to the community as possible.
"With the help of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, Transport for NSW has arranged for the Yarrawonga weir crossing to remain open while work on the Mulwala bridge is taking shape."
The first stage of work will be mostly completed at night between 9pm and 6am, from Monday to Thursday, with a single lane open to traffic at all times.
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Some day shifts and short-term closures of the bridge may occur with traffic diverted to the weir crossing.
Transport NSW had earlier flagged different arrangements with residents for the maintenance works period before releasing revised ones late last week.
Mulwala Progress Association chairman Rob Purtle said residents would be inconvenienced, but the bigger issue needing to be resolved was the alignment of the replacement bridge.
"They've got to do some maintenance because there has been little done over the last 20-odd years," he said.
"It's all going nowhere at the moment and sometimes you feel as though you are knocking your head against a brick wall.
"But we've got to keep pushing or it won't happen at all."
Mr Purtle has been a long-term supporter of the green route which also has the backing of the Victorian government and Moira and Federation councils.
He was part of a delegation which met with NSW Regional Transport and Roads minister Paul Toole last year.
The MDBA announced 12 months ago the weir crossing was closing in July this year.
The bridge works, including replacing a vertical steel strut and upgrading the existing pedestrian crossing,. will be reviewed with any changes to border restrictions.
