Repaired motorway bridge re-opens tomorrow

An Auckland motorway bridge closed for damage repairs since late September is to re-open tomorrow night - to the relief of people in two Manukau suburbs.

The Transport Agency said it would be able to re-open the Orams Rd bridge south of the Manukau city centre two weeks ahead of schedule as long as the weather stayed fine so work could be completed.

Auckland highways manager Tommy Parker said crews repairing the bridge, damaged when it was hit by the boom arm of a digger being towed on the Southern Motorway, had worked extended hours, enabling the job to be done more quickly than expected.

The bridge carries up to 12,000 vehicles each day, and its closure has caused inconvenience to residents of the suburbs on each side of it, Totara Heights and Hillpark.

Some final repair work will be done after the bridge re-opens.