The span across Ten Mile Creek at Holbrook will have its deck and planks replaced through a federal government-funded project.

To allow the work to proceed 80 metres of a miniature railway track, which runs underneath the bridge, will have to be ripped up and stored for re-laying.

Member for Albury Greg Aplin announced Yackandandah firm Nelmac would refurbish the bridge which was built in 1942 and widened in 1991.

“The work will extend the life of the bridge and reduce future maintenance costs,” Mr Aplin said.

“Nelmac Pty Ltd will carry out work on this project, which is expected to be completed by April 2017.

“Work will commence in mid to late October 2016, with works being carried out on weekdays between 7am and 6pm.

“Some work may need to be carried out on Saturdays between 7am and 12pm.

“During the project, one lane of traffic in either direction will be available at all times.”

Greater Hume Shire mayor Heather Wilton welcomed Mr Aplin’s announcement.

“I think it’s fantastic, we’ve known it’s been in the pipeline for sometime but we didn’t know exactly when it would happen,” she said.

She said the structure’s deteriorating condition was detected when the Holbrook Hume Highway bypass was being built from 2011 to 2013.

“The bridge has got concrete cancer in it and it needs to be replaced,” Cr Wilton said.

Albury Street, the Hume Highway’s former route through Holbrook, still remains under the control of the federal government despite the bypass being three years old.

Cr Wilton said it would be given to the shire for management and maintenance when it was in “good condition”.

She declined to nominate a date for a handover.

Miniature railway administrator Leo Mackinlay said 40 metres of track either side of the bridge would be dismantled and put in storage.

He has been told the contract for the work would see the miniature railway group paid for the removal with that figure likely to meet ticket sales foregone over summer.

“I know we’ll be covered for it and it looks like we’ll have a bit of a rest for a few months,” Mr Mackinlay said.

The warmer months are normally the peak period for the circuit which measures 700 metres in total.

Trains run each Sunday during school holidays and on the same day once a fortnight at other periods.

The uprooted track will be stored in a rail group member’s shed ahead of its return.