Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is closing the Ashburton River/ Hakatere Bridge tonight, Wednesday 16 June from 11 pm to 1 am tomorrow morning.

This is for a second night of deck monitoring and data analysis after the recent floods left one pier slightly lower than the rest.

One night of monitoring and analysis last week showed that the pier had stabilised and most traffic was allowed back onto the bridge 24/7, aside from overweight and over-size vehicles.

During this week’s closure Waka Kotahi will also be installing electronic monitoring equipment to allow remote monitoring of the structure.

Thursday night additional closure for deck repair, weather dependent, five hours proposed

As well as the Wednesday night two-hour closure, if the weather remains dry the bridge will be closed Thursday night, 17 June, 11 pm to 4 am Friday to smooth out the deck.

• Check this link for updates: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/regions/11

Overweights, over-dimensions no go

Overweight and oversize permit vehicles cannot use the bridge, however, this will be updated after the Thursday night work.

Timeline for repair

Waka Kotahi is aiming to complete the bridge repair in the next two months.

Waka Kotahi thanks all bridge users for their patience over the past fortnight as this bridge investigation got underway and traffic management for everyone’s safety was put in place.

• Detour route for overweight permitted traffic in Ashburton District here: https://www.ashburtondc.govt.nz/news/notices-and-advisories/30-may-2021-weather-event-updates?fbclid=IwAR0XTyL3hqJmFNCf_7LjFEnlM3fwmQAwXmwRMuBmW0iEHo7J9xcTFRGF1Vo

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

· Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAsouthisland
• Twitter Canterbury/West Coast: twitter.com/WakaKotahiCWC
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

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