The Westland District Council announced today that it will have to close the Totara Rail Bridge as of Monday 19 August because of the potential for sudden failure of truss spans in the bridge structure.

The bridge, now used as  a pedestrian and cycleway for the popular West Coast Wilderness trail, spans the Totara River near the township of Ross in South Westland.

Acting Group Manager District Assets Erle Bencich says, “Unfortunately there is no way around the bridge to create a diversion in the Wilderness Trail that would provide safe access to or from the Ross township. We understand this will inconvenience trail users, tourism operators and the local farmer who uses the bridge. However, after the most recent advice we received on the state of the bridge’s structure, we have no choice but to order an immediate closure.”

Bencich says the council is talking to stakeholders to give them a little time to make other arrangements, but a longer period of notice simply is not possible. 

“In May 2023 we received a report which identified that the bridge had deteriorated to the point that its capacity to support pedestrian loading was becoming compromised. Council was therefore facing a decision on whether it was economic to repair or replace. Initial estimates suggested that $2million would be needed to restore the bridge to a fit-for-purpose state, with a further $3-to-$5million over the short-medium term. 

“Now, however, after moving forward with options assessments and undertaking further design inspections,  we were, unfortunately, advised in June this year (2024) that the risk of sudden failure is too high to allow the bridge to continue to be used. This was confirmed again this week following a request for a possible extension. 

“Our specialist engineering advisers also report that there are no practical measures to restore the bridge to a serviceable condition for the coming tourist season without significant investment which, given the very poor state of the bridge, is simply not an economic option for ratepayers.”

Bencich says council has already been investigating possible designs and costings to replace the bridge, or to change the start/end of the Wilderness Trail if it proves to be economically non-viable. A report will go to the August council meeting for councillors to discuss the options.

“We are acutely aware of the impact this will have on the community of Ross and on the wilderness trail users, but we are not prepared to put lives at risk, which is exactly what this situation is about” added Westland District Mayor Helen Lash.

Notes:

• With the bridge closed the nearest point where trail users can start/finish their journey will be at Ruatapu.
• The distance from the closed bridge back to Ruatapu is 9.8km

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