Work on the Mangaorongo Bridge started this week.
Three major bridge projects are set to strengthen state highway routes in the coming months as Ōtorohanga bounces back from the February floods.
The projects include repairs to the flood-damaged Mangaorongo Bridge on State Highway 3, strengthening work on Symes Bridge on State Highway 39, and plans for a permanent replacement of the Mangati Bridge, which was destroyed during February’s severe weather.
Work on the Mangaorongo Bridge started this week.
Work on the Mangaorongo Bridge about 7km north of Ōtorohanga near Kio Kio Station Rd on State Highway 3 is expected to take four weeks.
The bridge was reduced to a single lane on Monday and stop-go traffic management put in place.
The bridge abutments are being repaired while erosion control is carried out on nearby riverbanks.
Transport minister Chris Bishop said the New Zealand Transport Agency’s work on the riverbank would help protect the bridge from future floods.
Symes Bridge on State Highway 39 just north of Tihiroa over the Moakurarua Stream will also be repaired following significant erosion underneath the bridge, the result of February storms. The work should take about five weeks.
Bishop said the deck and beams would be replaced later this year.
Work on the Mangaorongo Bridge started this week.
Initial work on Symes Bridge will require a few days of lane closures while equipment is brought to and from site and a temporary access underneath the bridge is built. The second stage of works will involve closing the bridge for seven weeks.
“Together, these components form the bridge’s superstructure, and replacing them will provide a wider, more resilient and safer structure,” Bishop said.
Further north on the highway between Ōtorohanga and Pirongia, a temporary single-lane Acrow bridge replaced the Mangati Bridge in March after the original bridge was destroyed in the February flood.
The closure of the highway resulted in takings in Pirongia shops dropping by more than 66 per cent in many cases.
Bishop said a permanent bridge is still a priority and a tender process for a two-lane replacement has started.
Ōtorohanga mayor Rodney Dow welcomed the investment.
Work on the Mangaorongo Bridge started this week.
“From a mayor’s point of view, it’s really cool that they’re spending some money and providing some resilience for the main corridors of our town and for the district,” Dow said.
“We’re primary producers for the economy and the roads need to be open and functioning properly so we can get our produce to market.”
The February floods also caused widespread damage in Ōtorohanga.
Ōtorohanga Primary School was inundated when the Mohoanui Stream burst its banks and the whare housing the 13-metre Te Waonui o Tāne waka at Ōtorohanga Museum was inundated with flood water from Ōtorohanga Domain.
Ōtorohanga District Council’s mayoral relief fund paid $165,000 to support people needing immediate help following the floods.
Chris Bishop said the work on the bridges was about fixing the basics and making sure critical routes stay open and reliable for the communities and businesses that depend on them.
Work on the Mangaorongo Bridge started this week.
