KEY POINTS:
A Thames car dealer who has commuted across the 80-year-old Kopu Bridge for 18 years is ecstatic work will begin on a $32 million replacement in July.
Ian Richardson launched a crusade in May calling for construction to start as soon as possible after reading on the website of the old Transit NZ that the one-lane Coromandel bridge was at risk of collapse in a moderate earthquake.
Following his concerns, Transit - now the NZ Transport Agency - said it would begin work on a 480m, two-lane replacement in 2011. It had previously said construction would begin between 2010 and 2012, but an announcement by chief executive Rick van Barneveld provided official confirmation of the timetable.
But yesterday, a $500 million package announced by Prime Minister John Key to fast-track road upgrades, build new schools and improve state housing allowed for work to begin in July. The bridge is expected to be completed in 18 months.
Mr Richardson, general manager of Valley Toyota in Thames, said it was not just a matter of ending the lengthy traffic jams that blight the bridge every public holiday. "Most people wanted a new bridge to avoid the queues but I took a different approach. It was about safety. We have an 80-year-old bridge falling to bits."
He took photos of cracks underneath the bridge and wrote numerous letters to the Transport Minister, local MPs and mayors and transport organisations.
"People started to sit up and take notice and say 'Hell, it could fall down'. Transit really didn't have a choice. They were backed into a corner."
It was revealed last year that the ageing bridge has not been subjected to structural engineering checks since a 2001 Transit NZ study that said it could collapse in an earthquake.
The report said "seismic deficiencies" would be likely to cause the bridge to suffer significant damage or "sudden collapse" even in a moderate quake.
A February 2008 inspection report said the abutment bearings were corroded, the timber handrails were in poor condition, and there was deck cracking and steel corrosion throughout the superstructure.
Motorists this summer heading to and away from the Coromandel Peninsula have been stuck in queues up to 10km long on State Highway 25. More than 2000 east-bound cars backed up to cross the bottleneck for the Christmas break.
