Enabling works for the replacement of the Waikare Gorge Bailey bridge is now starting next Monday (4 August).

From Monday, a stretch of SH2 through Waikare Gorge at Pūtōrino will be reduced to one lane and under stop/go traffic management as work gets underway to build the wider, stronger temporary bridge off to the side of the road.

That construction work will involve building a crane platform and putting the new steel bridge together, before it can be installed during a 24-hour road closure, which is now scheduled for the first weekend in September.

September closure

The closure will now take place from 10am Saturday 6 to 10am Sunday 7 September.

This is the original contingency date.

Following this 24-hour closure, the new bridge will be open to light, 50MAX and HPMV vehicles until the first night closure.

There will be an additional 3 nights of closures, to focus on widening the north and south bound approaches to the new bridge. These will be 9pm to 5am each night on Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 September. The road will then reopen 5am Wednesday 10 September (at this time, the Acrow bridge will be fully operational).

This work is weather dependent.  If weather delays the full closure, the contingency is the following weekend (starting Saturday 13 September).

Note that there will be no access for emergency services during the full 24-hour closure. However, emergency services will be assisted through the night closures.

While the early preparations have been shifted a week, project ecologists have been on site this week as planned, implementing the environmental management plan as part of our consent conditions. This work is off the road and hasn’t required a stop/go.