The opening of a bridge on a rural road in Te Puke is 'bloody good” following limited access for residents for the past six weeks.

A temporary Bailey bridge opened on No 4 road late Wednesday after the original bridge over Raparapahoe Stream washed away in severe weather on January 29.

Around 30 properties above the washout had limited access through a private road but it wasn't suitable for heavy vehicles.

This caused concern for orchardists on the road with the kiwifruit harvest beginning this month.

Ben Muir and his family have 40 hectares of kiwifruit and stood to lose around $4 million if their fruit was unable to be harvested and transported in time.

Muir says the bridge opening is 'bloody good”.

'We're just a bit relieved. It was a bit of a worrying time in the initial stages of it.

'Once that bridge was in place a bit of the anxiety had gone.”

Ben's brother George Muir estimates there is around 200 hectares of kiwifruit across the affected properties that could have resulted in a loss of $15 to $30 million, depending on people's yields.

The Bailey bridge opened on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied/WBOPDC.

Until the portable, pre-fabricated truss bridge was in place it was uncertain if truck and trailer units would be able to use it because of the turning circle at either end.

This was resolved and truck and trailer units have full access to the road.

'It'll be truck and trailer accessible, which is great for us, for business with kiwifruit and farming,” says Ben Muir.

Initially, the Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC) said the bridge would be installed in a week.

But, an assessment showed unfavourable ground conditions meaning a number of additional works were required, making it a six-week project.

This included, installing longer and larger piles up to 25m into the ground to support the bridge and its foundations.

WBOPDC transportation manager Jim Paterson says in a statement: 'Installing this Bailey bridge was not a simple process.”

'How quickly they can be set up depends on how accessible the area is and the preparation work required, and in our case the ground conditions and intricacies of the installation meant we could only go as fast as this allowed.”

'Our goal from the beginning has been to do this correctly to ensure a temporary bridge that is safe and secure for everyone accessing it. This has been achieved.”

The site of the bridge washout on No 4 Road. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer says it is 'pleasing” to have the bridge in place.

'This temporary bridge provides residents the means to get back to some normality and with the start of the kiwifruit packing season getting underway, it comes at just the right time to provide suitable road access to the orchards.

'It's been a true team effort to reach this point. From the residents who showed great patience and understanding in trying times, to the landowners who opened up their private accessway while the installation was taking place, and the council and engineering teams' tireless mahi to get the bridge in place.”

The Bailey bridge will be in place until a permanent structure can be considered and installed, the council says.

The timeline for this is as yet unknown, but Denyer previously said it could be a year to 18 months.

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