Cyclone Gabrielle: River crossing restores access to farms after seven month wait

Glenbrook Rd families, council staff and contractors at the site of the crossing built to replace the bridge east of Putorino which was destroyed in Cyclone Gabrielle in February.

A remote community between Napier and Wairoa is trucking along nicely again after the opening of a new river crossing to re-open their road after a bridge was swept away in Cyclone Gabrielle.

Residents hit by the destruction of the single-lane Glenbrook Rd bridge, downstream from the State Highway 2 Waikare River Bridge near Putorino, could only drive out across the river in 4x4 vehicles and “premium” conditions, Wairoa District Council said.

Attending a celebration of the re-opening last week, Wairoa Mayor Craig Little thanked the residents for their patience since the bridge washout eight months ago.

“Council staff and contracting roading teams have worked hard to restore access, and we appreciate the effort put in to restore connectivity for our district,” he said. “This was a challenging job, particularly over such a wet winter, and I thank everyone for their input.”

About six families had been impacted by the loss of the bridge, and farmer Guy Dever told Hawke’s Bay Today: “We’ve had no access for seven months.”

Shearers had to be flown in for the shearing and other services had been lost, and “we haven’t even been able to get the paper”. he said.

He said the old bridge, which is thought to have been built in the 1970s, would have been hit by the same wall of timber that destroyed the SH2 bridge.

The new crossing is expected to be usable in most conditions, and Dever said: “This is great.”