The replacement of two century-old bridges on a key inland South Canterbury route will improve safety, reliability and freight efficiency, Associate Transport and South Island Minister James Meager says.
Work to remove the existing Waihao North River and Elephant Hill Stream bridges on State Highway 82 is now under way, with construction of the new bridges expected to take about 12 months.
“The condition of these two-lane bridges has reached a point where it is now more cost-effective to replace them than continuing to maintain them,” Meager says.
“Once these end-of-life bridges are removed, modern replacements will then be built to provide safer crossings and assurance to those travelling on SH82. This highway corridor provides important access to popular destinations such as the Canterbury Lakes, the Mackenzie District and Central Otago.
“It also offers the only convenient alternative route to State Highway 1 for people travelling north and south of the Waitaki River.”
Meager says the new bridges will be built without load restrictions, delivering benefits for freight operators and regional productivity.
“The new bridges will also have no load restrictions, which will make life easier for freight companies and help improve productivity across the South Island,” he says.
Waitaki MP Miles Anderson says the project will strengthen the resilience of the local transport network.
“I’m thrilled this important infrastructure is being replaced. These new bridges will go a long way in building resilience to our local transport network,” Anderson says.
The Waihao North River Bridge replacement is expected to cost $14 million, including contingencies, while the Elephant Hill Stream Bridge replacement is budgeted at $5.7 million.
Early enabling works have already been completed, and both bridge replacements will be delivered concurrently by HEB Construction due to their close proximity. Temporary bridges — one Acrow and one Bailey — have been installed at the sites to allow traffic to continue flowing while construction is under way.
The two bridges form part of the NZ Transport Agency’s End of Life Bridge Replacement Programme, which prioritises structures nationally where replacement offers better long-term value than continued maintenance, based on age, condition and structural performance.
