Demolition of the old Waikare Gorge Bridge set to start at the end of October

The temporary Bailey bridge will be open while the collapsed bridge is removed.

Road users can expect 10-minute delays when travelling State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Napier as the demolition of the old Waikare Gorge Bridge starts on Monday, October 30.

The work is expected to take between five and six weeks with crews on site from 7am to 6pm Monday to Sunday.

The temporary Bailey bridge currently controlled by traffic lights will be operational 24/7 while work is carried out in the river and to the side of the road reducing effects on traffic flow.

TREC project director Tony Gallager said the removal of the destroyed bridge is important in the recovery of the road through the gorge that was destroyed during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“The concrete piles and bridge spans present a risk that they could restrict the flow of the Waikari River during extreme weather events,” he said.

Debris that caused the bridge to collapse will need to be removed first.

Before any work on the structure is done, debris and other materials that caused the bridge to collapse will need to be removed.

The removal of the old bridge is a part of the Waikare Gorge project that is currently awaiting design consent for a 4km realignment and a new 160m bridge across the top of the gorge. This has been in the planning for several years and it will rise 60m above the Waikari River and is expected to be one of the highest highway bridges in New Zealand.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. Michaela covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news, and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.