Mid Canterbury motorists have a watchful eye on the Tinwald viaduct, wondering how long before it is struck again.
The road under the structure reopened on Tuesday, four-anda-half months after closure for repairs. It was less than that original repair timeframe given by KiwiRail, of six to eight months.
A spokesperson from the rail authority said the repair involved installing additional impact beams, designed to absorb the impact of an overheight vehicle without affecting the bridge’s structural integrity. They warned drivers to observe signs when approaching a bridge.
The viaduct closed for repairs on July 29, after being struck by an excavator on a trailer on June 30.
An engineers’ report following the strike revealed the structure’s risk of collapse from further strikes. The viaduct is the most struck bridge in New Zealand.
On a The Ashburton Courier Facebook post about the reopening on Tuesday, commenters were tongue-incheek.
‘‘Poor thing’s had more hits than Elvis,’’ said one commenter. ‘‘What’s the tote paying before some lemon takes it out again,’’ said another.
One posted an AI image of the viaduct destroyed by a bus, with a train crashed nearby. The image was later posted on Hokonui Breakfast with Luke Howden, where it got more than 480 reactions.
