The new swing bridge linking the Tukituki Trails in Waipukurau and Waipawa is not due to officially open until early in the New Year, but people should be able to walk over it by the end of this week.
Wellington-based contractors Abseil Access have finished their work on the $225,000 bridge - which spans 100m over the Tukituki River to link the limesand cycle paths trails in Waipukurau and Waipawa - leaving only the access ramp on the Waipawa side still to be completed.
The 1.2m-wide bridge passed a load test on November 22 and can carry a maximum of 10 people at a time.
Martina Groves, flood control-scheme team leader at Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which has assumed ownership of the bridge, welcomed people down to the river to have a look at it.
But despite its finished appearance, she advised people to wait until the remaining work was completed before walking on it.