WET weather has put a dampener on the reopening of the Tarro Rail Bridge.
Both lanes of traffic opened for northbound drivers on the New England Highway, towards Newcastle, on Thursday morning.
The speed limit and heavy vehicle restrictions were also lifted.
It comes after the first stage of "critical repairs" was carried out, after Transport for NSW prioritised getting the bridge back to normal operations as quickly and safely as possible.
One southbound lane on the Tarro Rail Bridge remained closed this morning and a 60 kilometre per hour speed limit remained in place after rain overnight hampered crews.
Southbound vehicles that weigh more than 69 tonnes can't go over the bridge, and large trucks should use Newcastle Inner City Bypass and Newcastle Link Road instead.
There's been traffic gridlock on the stretch of road connecting Maitland and Newcastle since the two outside lanes of the Tarro Rail Bridge were suddenly closed for urgent repairs earlier this month.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast wet weather to continue in the Newcastle area on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.
"A final inspection will occur immediately after the completion of the work before motorists and the freight sector will regain access to all four lanes of the bridge," a Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
"Motorists should continue to plan ahead and allow extra travel time through the area."
Once the urgent southbound repairs are done, further work will be carried out at night at a later stage.
Additional passenger train services between Newcastle and Maitland were scheduled to meet increased demand, and are set to continue for an extra week.
The defect related to a structural issue with the columns that were supporting the outer lanes.
For the latest traffic information, visit the Live Traffic NSW website.
