Community members joined Hastings District Council and contractors at the official opening of the Matapiro Bridge on Saturday.
During Cyclone Gabrielle, the former three-span concrete bridge, which was built in about 1955, was completely washed away, and the roading approaches were badly damaged.
A temporary culverted crossing was installed soon after the event, and work on the new bridge began at the end of last year.
Hastings Mayor, Sandra Hazlehurst said it was very special to attend the opening of the new bridge with the community, including mana whenua.
“While it has been trafficable for some time it’s very heartening to now have a completed project to celebrate – a robust, resilient crossing for this community,” the Mayor said.
“We’re building back better and this new crossing is higher and longer than the original, with deeper piles and two traffic lanes.
“These bridges and other roading rebuilds and repairs are more than just replacing infrastructure – they are lifelines, they are vital for people who live and work in these areas, they are very important to our local economy.”
The new Matapiro Bridge is the third large rebuild to now be completed post-cyclone – following the replacement of the bridge over Kererū Gorge and the Chrystal Culvert.
Initially awarded National Infrastructure Funding and Financing funding of $9 million, the project was brought in under budget at $5.5 million, and is part of an overall $800 million recovery programme being undertaken over seven to 10 years.
The Council says the under-spend on the project will be reallocated to other recovery projects. As well as conducting hundreds of slip repairs, roading repairs and rebuilds, other bridge rebuilds are underway or planned for the region.
The next new bridge to be opened will be the Puketapu Bridge, construction of which is expected to be complete in August this year; and the building of the new Dartmoor and Rissington Bridges is anticipated to begin later this year.
