A new permanent single span bridge will be built to replace the No. 4 Road bridge in Te Puke that was washed away during an extreme storm event in January.

Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors have agreed to proceed with design and construction of a new $2.75m, 30m-long, single-lane bridge which will be located about 5-10m upstream of the temporary Bailey bridge that currently provides a safe, interim route across Te Raparaoa-ā-hoe stream for the No 4 Road community.

To minimise disruption, particularly during the upcoming kiwifruit season, the Bailey bridge — a portable, pre-fabricated truss bridge hired from New Zealand Transport Authority Waka Kotahi (NZTA) — will remain in place while the new bridge is being built.

“We explored four different options with the No. 4 Road community at an information session in October, and most people who came along told us they preferred the chosen option,” says senior transportation engineer Calum McLean.

“A fifth option, presented by some of the residents at the session, would have involved building the new bridge in the same location as the Bailey bridge, and moving this temporary bridge upstream while the work was taking place. However, it was determined that this would be a more costly and disruptive option.”

A site meeting was also held with a Waitaha and Tapuika iwi representative, who advised that the new bridge should be located as close as possible to the former bridge to minimise the impact on the local ecosystem, and to avoid disturbing a pā site downstream.

“The recommended option was the one that made the most sense, in terms of cost, design and minimising disruption. We were particularly mindful of the kiwifruit season, and providing a solution that would keep things moving during this busy time,” says Calum.

“From the outset, No. 4 Road residents have shown resilience and a willingness to work closely with us to find a fit-for-purpose, permanent solution, as quickly as practicable. It has been a real community effort and we are excited to be moving forward with this project.”

The next step will be to procure a contractor to design and construct the new bridge. This will be undertaken over the next two to three months.

A subsidy will be sought from NZTA to cover the majority of the cost, and an issues paper will be presented to Council to seek funding for the remaining amount.

When the new bridge has been constructed and opened to traffic, the Bailey bridge will be dismantled by NZTA’s contractors and kept in storage until it is needed again.

You can view the Council kōrero from the meeting online, at 2 hours 49 minutes.