Waitangi Bridge on SH51 between Napier and Clive will close at 8pm on Wednesday 26 April and will reopen at 5am on Thursday 27 April.
The closure has been requested by our contractors to safely allow them time to clear any remaining debris from the bridge and replace part of the barrier between the walkway and the road, which had been damaged in the cyclone.
Also next week, bridge engineers will be installing scaffolding below the bridge to ensure safe access in the future to its electronic monitoring equipment installed on the sides of the bridge. This will not require any additional closure.
The electronic monitoring means future inspections will be carried out remotely.
The scaffolding is not needed to support the bridge in any way and the bridge remains structurally safe and the inspections to date have been to ensure this continues to be the case.
Waka Kotahi will be publicising next week’s closure on its social media pages and our contractor has the information displayed on digital screens either side of the bridge.
Waka Kotahi Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti System Manager Martin Colditz says while the overnight closure will minimise traveller disruption, some road users will still be affected.
“We want to thank road users in advance for their patience as we make this vital connection even more resilient for all users.
“The Napier – Hastings Expressway is one of the detours available for overnight road users during this closure.”
