 John Whitton has been described as the "Father of New South Wales Railways", responsible for the establishment of the basic framework of the NSW rail network.The bridge forms part of the larger historic Lithgow railway corridor, and exemplifies the style and technique used in construction of stone arch bridges, a form of construction which is relatively rare within the NSW rail network.Lithgow Underbridge was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 30 August 2013 having satisfied the following criteria.