e Transport Agency says partial Monday to Friday night time closures for strengthening work to the State highway (SH8) Beaumont Bridge, are being extended to Saturday, 11 July.
During these closures, than run from 7pm until 6am, the bridge will open at hourly intervals, on the hour, for those motorists able to wait. Once they have crossed the bridge it will close again.
For those heading towards Queenstown, a detour is signed posted to travel to Beaumont via Balclutha and Clydevale to re-join the highway.
The same detour will apply for travel from Alexandra and Queenstown. Motorists should add an extra 30 minutes to their travel plans to allow for the detour. Alternatively, motorists can use State highway 85 to Dunedin via Palmerston.
Heavy vehicles travelling under permit may need to apply for alternative permits to use the detour route, or plan their travel around the bridge opening intervals.
The Transport Agency apologises for any inconvenience this closure causes road users.
Once this work is completed the Beaumont Bridge will be capable of carrying High Performance Motor Vehicles (HPMV). These are trucks permitted to carry loads of up to 62 Tonne, reducing the overall number of freight vehicles on our highways and improving safety. This work, along with strengthening to other bridges, will allow HPMV’s to operate between Dunedin and Queenstown.
For updates on the Beaumont Bridge work go to www.highwayinfo.govt.nz(external link) or phone 0800 44 44 49
