A bridge in the City of Wyndham has been named to help emergency services find it quickly and easily.

The Tarneit Road bridge over the rail line near Tarneit Station has officially been named John Sweeting Bridge, after John Sweeting who lived in the Werribee area and ran Sweetings the Jewellers for more than 50 years.

He was an active members of local sporting clubs and supported nearby schools and the Werribee Hospital.

John Sweeting Bridge was constructed as part of the Regional Rail Link Project. Five other bridges built nearby through the project have a similar appearance and, to help give the bridges unique identities, VicTrack is naming the rest of the bridges through its Bridge Naming Competition.

Naming the bridges is designed to help emergency services pinpoint people’s locations, particularly in fire or flood prone areas.

They are all road bridges over the Geelong Line, and are at Doherty’s Road, Derrimut Road, Davis Road, Leakes Road and Ballan Road.

Names must commemorate a local community member or event, and follow the criteria set out by the Office of Geographic Names. Once nominations close, the names will be shortlisted and put to a public vote.

The first bridge to be named was Ellis Bridge, in Huntly near Bendigo, and five bridges in Moorabool Shire were then named through the competition.

For more information and to nominate a name, please visit victrack.com.au/bridge

Quotes attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas

“It’s critical we give emergency services the tools they need to keep us safe. Simple things like naming these bridges could really make a difference in an emergency.”

“John Sweeting was a well-known local – it’s great that his legacy has been recognised in such a special way.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Tarneit Sarah Connolly

“I encourage locals to get involved and come up with their ideas to name the other five bridges, so they can all get a unique identity.”

“The Bridge Naming Competition gives people the opportunity to recognise other local figures or even a particular event, so they can be commemorated long into the future.”