The road transport industry is welcoming the Government’s announcement that it will fund construction of a bridge to replace SH25A and reconnect the Coromandel peninsula.
State Highway 25A between Kōpū and Hikuai suffered significant damage with the road collapsing after the North Island’s major storms in late January and early February 2023.
Transport minister Michael Wood says building a bridge is the fastest way to restore the network.
Rebuild costs are being finalised, however, the estimated cost is between $30-$40 million.
The work is being funded through the Government’s $250 million top-up to the National Land Transport Programme fund to support the recovery.
Waka Kotahi has already engaged with the construction industry and started the procurement process. There will be a contractor ready to start construction by early June with completion estimated early next year.
“This road is a lifeline for many people who travel across the peninsula to work or school. It also brings people from all over New Zealand onto the peninsula every summer, keeping businesses and the local economy afloat,” Wood says.
“Currently increased travel time and cost is causing huge disruption.
“I want to reassure communities that the government will make every possible effort to get the road open as soon as it is safe to do so,” he says.
National Road Carriers Associations (NRC) chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers welcomes the announcement.
“Confirmation the bridge will be able to be delivered quickly, while bringing more resilience to the Coromandel road network means transport operators across the regions now have better surety around what the future will hold for both the affected communities and their businesses,” Tighe-Umbers says.
“It will be a challenging piece of engineering on a difficult site; however, this seems to be the simplest most resilient option with the best chance to be completed ahead of summer demand.
“Our members have been doing it really tough. They have been hit with escalating costs all round as the cost of business has risen, journey times up to twice as long, and decreased visitor numbers impacting the businesses they support.
“It’s a huge relief to hear contractors are lined up to start construction in June with a clear end date of early 2024,” Tighe-Umbers says.
