Mr Oakeshott directed his request to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during Question Time in parliament last week, arguing that the closure and/or downgrading of bridges was a life-changing matter for many rural residents.

"Will the Prime Minister now consider establishing a Commonwealth replacement fund that will assist state governments and local councils in addressing this issue, which is of such cost and magnitude that it remains a job too big for the other two tiers of government, and therefore a job undone?" Mr Oakeshott asked.

In his reply, Mr Rudd pointed to a range of government programs currently in place to assist with local infrastructure funding, but said the answer lay in the need for broader reform to Commonwealth-state financial relations.

"This is a legitimate question about the overall capacity of state and territory governments to provide effectively for infrastructure," Mr Rudd said.

"The answer goes to the long-term structure of Commonwealth-state financial relations and... on the broader question of the financial capacity of states and territories, we have much more reform work still to be done."

Mr Oakeshott said he had been contacted by a number of property and business owners in the upper Manning since load limits on the Marlee and Duffs bridges were reduced in October last year.

"For some farmers, this issue impacts directly on their livelihoods by restricting their ability to transport supplies and produce on and off their farms, and of course this has flow-on effects for local business," he said.

"But the problem is certainly not isolated to the Manning � there are dozens of ageing timber bridges needing attention across the Mid North Coast � and the Commonwealth needs to be part of the solution."