Closure of northern Hawke's Bay bridge disrupts hundreds

The now-closed Te Reinga bridge and tilted piers after the eight days of rain in March. Photo / Supplied

The closure of a vital rural road bridge northwest of Wairoa, as a result of storm damage and possibly pushed along by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake, is being described as one of the biggest infrastructure issues faced by the Wairoa District Council in recent years.

A statement from the council says it is "directing all possible resources" into repairing Te Reinga Bridge on Ruakituri Rd, where two piers have subsided - compromising the structural integrity of the structure and impacting hundreds of people and the movement of stock and machinery in the Ruakituri Valley.

The bridge, described by council CEO Kitea Tipuna as the "gateway to Ruakituri", was closed to all vehicles from Tuesday, site investigations then revealing it is unusable by any form of traffic, including pedestrians.

The council has rolled out a simultaneous three-pronged priority approach of repairing the existing bridge, restoring pedestrian access as soon as possible, and urgent weather-related repairs on the alternative route via Erepiti and Ohuka roads, off State Highway 38.

A project team to manage the design and repair of this bridge has been formed, drawing on local and out-of-town expertise and knowledge, Tipuna said.

"This is one of the biggest infrastructure issues Wairoa has faced in a long time and I want to assure the community we are aware of the impacts, and we understand the importance of connectivity to communities and that this closure will affect hundreds of people from farmers, forestry and employees as well as schooling and the marae," he said.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said the council has been carrying out bridge-strengthening work on a series of bridges on Ruakituri Rd, and the Te Reinga Bridge had not previously been identified as needing any work.

The storm in the last fortnight of March brought over 400mm of rain in eight days to parts of the area, while there had also been a 4.4 magnitude earthquake placed at 35km from Wairoa late on the night of Friday, March 25.

"Geotech investigations and underwater assessment will be carried out to determine what has caused this issue."