Updated 5.49pm

Maniototo Road, a well-used public road that has been effected by a bridge closure since January 2021, is scheduled to fully reopen in September following the installation of a temporary bridge.

The work has partly been made possible through the offer by a local business to pay nearly $80,000 over three years toward the cost of the bridge.

At a meeting of the Central Otago District Council(CODC) on Wednesday the decision was made to install a Bailey Bridge at the crossing over the Taieri River near Ranfurly, where a worn-out and unusable bridge currently

sits.

Across the district, council has undertaken 187 structural inspections of its aging bridge network in the past 15 months. The first round of inspections of 17 structures undertaken in January last year followed extensive

flooding in the Maniototo area. It identified a long list of faults and damage at the Halls Ford bridge on Maniototo Road, which links two halves of one local farm. The bridge was then closed to the public.

Many motorists including seven or eight landowners have been affected by the closure of what was considered a main thoroughfare, Wednesday’s meeting heard.

Some councillors questioned paying for a temporary solution but were told this would allow time for council to understand and prioritise the full picture of work and investment needed on bridge improvements across the

district.

The total one-off cost for installing then later uninstalling a temporary bridge was around $200,000. This included geotechnical investigation and design, preparation of launch pad, abutments, approaches, transportation to

location, erection of the bridge, installation of running planks and dismantling costs. 

“The on-going hire of the bridge is $4,400 per month ($52,800 per annum). The adjoining landowner has agreed to a 50% cost share for the period of 3 years for the ongoing monthly hire. The total cost to Council for the 3-

year period is $279,200 with $79,200 being met by the adjoining landowner,” a report stated.

Work is ongoing on a district-wide bridge strategy with a dedicated staff member now being appointed to that task.

Like many other councils, Central Otago District Council has an aging bridge network, and many would require replacement or significant work done on them over the next 10 years, according to a council report.

Some may not meet Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency requirements for receiving subsidised funding. Council was aware investment required to replace all aging bridges with similar structures may create “affordability

issues” for the community.