A new Boorolong Road bridge officially opened on Saturday will assist transportation of produce and farm supplies.
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Nearby landholders joined Federal, State and Council representatives for a community celebration to launch the new Abington Creek Bridge.
The concrete box culvert helped preserve an important route for agricultural industries north west of Armidale.
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"The existing one-lane timber bridge was old, and would have soon required a downgrading in its load capacity from 44 tonnes to 25 tonnes," Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray said.
"That would have prevented large farm trucks and other heavy vehicles from using the bridge, and would have forced them to take a detour, which would have brought inconvenience and increased haulage costs for landholders."
Cr Murray said the new structure also improved safety for all road users.
"The culvert is two metres wider than the old timber structure, and now accommodates two standard-width lanes, enabling vehicles to pass safety.
"In addition, Council used the bridge replacement as an opportunity to reposition the creek crossing, to improve the safety of the road approaches."
Cr Murray said the upgrade would help prevent future interruptions to traffic because of flooding.
The structure's better position and design would improve stream flows. The culvert has a higher deck, which would stop it from being flooded.
The $363,000 project is part of Council's Bridge Renewal Program, and was assisted by contributions of $54,405 each from the State and Federal Governments.
Federal Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, said the Boorolong Road project provided vital new road infrastructure, and would also provide lasting benefits for primary producers in the region.
"Better bridges like this one at Abington not only help to keep us safe on the road, but also drive our economy and expand local industry across the New England," Mr Joyce said.
"With regional road links that are safer, more reliable, and more efficient, we're helping to cut stock and produce transport costs, and provide a better return through the farm gate."
Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister, Nationals' Leader and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, said the Liberals and Nationals in Government are committing $640 million for vital bridgeworks between 2015-16 to 2022-23, with an ongoing commitment of $85 million each year following.
"The Bridges Renewal Program provides up to 50 per cent of the cost of repairing or replacing old and unsafe local bridges, which is a fantastic win for local communities," Mr McCormack said.
Abington Creek Bridge received $52,405 in federal funding under Round 3 of the Australian Government's Bridges Renewal Program. Total project cost was $363,596.
The Federal Government recently announced a further $653,000 in funding to upgrade two more bridges in the Armidale region - the Pint Pot Bridge and Dumaresq Creek Bridge - which are among 12 new bridges to be upgraded across the New England Electorate under Round 4 of the Bridges Renewal Program.
