The contract for building the permanent Te Reinga Bridge has been awarded to local contracting company QRS, with onsite work expected to start this month.

While QRS won the tender, they will bring in additional expertise from Brian Perry Civil, a specialist ground engineering and civil construction company delivering complex and technically challenging projects, as well as utilising Napier-based steel fabricator Eastbridge.

The total cost of the rebuild project is $ 14 million, and the work is government-funded. All going well, the new permanent bridge is expected to be open by the end of the year.

The replacement bridge proposal is a one-lane, 90.5m long network arch spanning the entire riverbed with a 13.5m long land span. The network arch will be approximately 18m tall at its highest point.

The bridge will be designed to withstand flood and earthquake events in accordance with NZTA Waka Kotahi’s requirements and built to modern design standards, which are significantly more advanced than those used for the original bridge, meaning it will be able to withstand extreme weather conditions.

It will feature a single-span network arch design, eliminating the need for a pier in the riverbed. This approach will enhance resilience and minimise environmental disruption, preserving the mauri of the awa. Piers from the previous bridge will be removed from the river, reducing the risk of future failures and improving resilience.

The network arch will be made of weathering steel, and the land span and pier will be constructed of concrete. The new bridge will be built upstream of the current temporary bridge, in a similar position to the previous permanent bridge, but because of the arch design, there will be no piers.

The permanent bridge will accommodate vehicles and pedestrians, with a reduced speed limit and a locally supported drop in the speed environment.

The bridge will be designed for current loading standards and open for High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV), with some restrictions for over-dimensional vehicles.

The construction of the new bridge will result in periodic interruptions to the temporary bridge's traffic flow, which will be communicated as early as possible.

The Te Reinga Bridge was initially damaged during the floods in March 2022. Further damage occurred in February 2023 during Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused a pier to wash away, leading to the bridge's closure. The old bridge was demolished in June 2023, and a temporary bridge (including a Bailey bridge) was constructed and opened in February 2024.

Following damage to the temporary bridge deck, the bridge has been restricted to light vehicles only, with a weight restriction of 3.5 tonnes, and the speed limit is 10kph.

While the structure of the bridge is unaffected, the wooden staging on the approaches on both sides of the bridge will be replaced with pre-fabricated concrete slabs. This will enable the current

restrictions to be removed. On Monday, 12 May, work will begin to replace the panels on the bridge. This means that for approximately five days, Te Reinga Bridge will be closed to all traffic from 7am - 5pm, and the bridge will open at night for light vehicles only. During the daytime closure, the team will be able to escort pedestrians across. We thank you for your understanding and patience while this work is undertaken.

Caption: An indication of what the new Te Reinga Bridge could look like.

19 May 2025

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