Hampden Bridge (Kangaroo Valley) “A Bridge for Eternity”

Download the Full Report (151 pages/46,520 words Acrobat file, fully indexed)  free at the link below

Draft 12 for Ongoing Community Comments, Feedback and Regular Updates

Submitted to  Illawarra Shoalhaven, Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan (February 8, 2026)

Transport for NSW have released a draft Regional Integrated Transport Strategy (T. f. NSW Draft Illawarra Shoalhaven, Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan) for public comment.

As part of its objective to provide

•  a safe road network,
• to create a thriving and diversifying economy and
• in order to create a resilient transport network

It was announced that Transport for NSW want to progress freight capacity upgrades for Hampden Bridge, Kangaroo Valley, first, by progressing the immediate installation of a temporary bridge and second, by planning for a long-term solution to provide 42.5 tonne vehicle load limit on the Illawarra Highway over Kangaroo River at Kangaroo Valley. (T. f. NSW Draft Illawarra Shoalhaven, Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan)

The NSW government invited comment by February 9, 2026.

This report provides feedback to the draft regional integrated transport strategy. Over the December/January period we have invited comments by community and regional Shoalhaven and Illawarra residents through the facebook page Hampden Bridge: "A Bridge for Eternity" and through many discussions and consultations.  Each part of this report was released in draft form beginning with an historical account of how Hampden Bridge was built in 1898:  “A Bridge for Eternity” released in November 2025 at this link: A Bridge for Eternity

The Report has been through 12 editions, each new version entailing corrections and feedback from the community. We expect that this process will go on ad infinitum as more and more people appreciate the elegance and importance of what de Burgh labelled simply “the bridge over the Kangaroo River”.

This Report examines

• the cost benefits of the various freight upgrade options,
• the unique heritage of Hampden Bridge including many new historical findings,
• the economic/social/environmental dimensions of the road system,
• the community and population needs,
• our growing and diverse economy as well as the local and regional population pressures and needs.

On all grounds, including cost benefits, the overwhelming evidence is that for Transport NSW to meet its objectives Hampden Bridge should be maintained as the central and only bridge over the Kangaroo River with a 42.5 tonnes weight capacity. To guarantee the viability of this strategy, a heritage and maintenance trust for Hampden Bridge should be established. This will guarantee Hampden Bridge is the most appropriate and sustainable working centre of the MVR271/B73 road system for another 127 years.

Hampden Bridge Group of Researchers and Supporters

Read the Executive Summary, Findings and Recommendations by downloading the report, click on the link below. Free download.