News of a bridge to reconnect communities in the Coromandel Peninsula is met with mixed emotions.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced the new bridge as a solution to the washout on State Highway 25A.

The Kopu-Hikuai highway was closed back in January after the formation of deep cracks and slips following Cyclone Hale.

Construction of the bridge is expected to start in June, with completion estimated to be early near year.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson.

National's MP for Coromandel Scott Simpson says the lack of commitment to a firm reopening date for SH25A is 'devastating news to residents and businesses across the Coromandel Peninsula”.

'It has taken three months for the Government and NZTA to make this announcement and we are still none the wiser as to when SH25A will reopen.

'Every day the highway remains closed is another blow to local businesses and adds to the growing emotional toll on the wider community.

'There is a tentative date for early 2024, but every possible action should be taken to have the road open again pre-Christmas.”

Simpson says he remains pessimistic that this timelines will be met.

'Alternate routes around the peninsula remain fragile, with communities vulnerable to further closures over winter.”

But the news of replacing SH25A with a bridge is being welcomed by National Road Carriers.

'Confirmation the bridge will be able to be delivered quickly, while bringing more resilience to the Coromandel road network means transport operators across the regions now have better surety around what the future will hold for both the affected communities and their businesses,” says CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers.

'It will be a challenging piece of engineering on a difficult site; however, this seems to be the simplest most resilient option with the best chance to be completed ahead of summer demand.”

Tighe-Umbers says it's great to see that the funding is ear marked to come from the Government's previously announced $250 million cyclone recovery support package, as this means Waka Kotahi, and their contractors, can get going quickly on the rebuild.

'Our members have been doing it really tough. They have been hit with escalating costs all round as the cost of business has risen, journey times up to twice as long, and decreased visitor numbers impacting the businesses they support.

'As Minister Wood says, the road really is a ‘lifeline' for the Coromandel Peninsula. It's a huge relief to hear contractors are lined up to start construction in June with a clear end date of early 2024.”