Transport Minister Michael Wood, MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, Meka Whaitiri, and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency officials talk to residents at the Bailey bridge construction site in the Waikare Gorge. Photo / Paul Taylor
Transport Minister Michael Wood, MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, Meka Whaitiri, and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency officials talk to residents at the Bailey bridge construction site in the Waikare Gorge. Photo / Paul Taylor
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Ageny has told residents living near the Waikare Gorge and its surrounding areas that they hope a new Bailey bridge to cross the Waikari River will be usable “by the start of May”, with construction now under way on the project.
The bridge will act as a crucial link on State Highway 2 (SH2) to reconnect cut-off communities to Wairoa, a place heavily utilised by many residents and farmers in the surrounding area who are concerned about the approaching winter.
Transport Minister Michael Wood, MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, Meka Whaitiri, and Waka Kotahi officials visited the site at the Waikare Gorge on Thursday to provide an update and answer any questions posed by the residents.
“We’ve got quite a bit of work to do to launch the bridge itself. Higgins is working with Downer about how we can launch it,” said Waka Kotahi maintenance contract manager Bradley Shanks.
“They like to build it in one and then push it across, but to do that, there’s still a massive amount of earthworks needed.”
He said the bridge would be able to take loads of 50 tonnes and would be a single lane, meaning there would still need to be a further focus on approaches on and off the bridge.
“There’s a lot of action here, but there is also lots going on behind the scenes.”
Teams were working “as hard as they could” to ensure a May opening, and Waka Kotahi would be keeping residents updated through newsletters, phone calls and social media, Shanks said.
Major concerns from many of the farmers and residents were around the fact that winter was approaching, and that the SH2 link to Wairoa was crucial for transporting livestock and getting vital supplies.
Local farmer Peter McCarthy farms locally in the Waikare Gorge area and in Wairoa, and said he had livestock that was “sitting waiting, and winter’s coming”.
“It’s nothing we can’t manage - as long as we know dates.”
McCarthy said the opening of the bridge would have a huge impact on the community. He also said having senior officials visit to provide an update on dates was reassuring.
“We know Mr Winter’s coming, so we know there’s going to be some spots that aren’t perfect, but at least we’re getting some marvellous progress and there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Construction is under way on a Bailey bridge across the Waikari River. Photo / Paul Taylor
Some residents said they were using a rail bridge further up the river to initially cross the river, but had been told this was not safe due to damaged boards.
When approached about this temporary solution, Wood said that they would be able to look further into it, and that safety was always a priority for organisations such as KiwiRail.
“I hope that as you get the sense that as we do all of this, we do want to be pragmatic.
“We know the knock-on for you and your communities is really tough, so if there are things that we can do to make it easier, and as long as we can do [those things] safely, we will generally try to work with all of you on that.”
Wood also confirmed that in terms of infrastructure and costs, there was enough money and Government support to fund projects such as the Bailey bridge.
“We’re making changes to the law to enable us to get consent much more quickly, so none of these things will be a barrier.”
He commended contracting staff for their mahi so far, and said he had spoken to Waka Kotahi management about doing as much as possible to provide “a bit of certainty” and being honest about setbacks as the process continued.
