Ashburton’s historic rail footbridge will soon receive major maintenance work, closing it to foot traffic for up to seven months.
Tenders for the work close on Wednesday.
District council chief executive officer Hamish Riach said a successful contractor was expected to be announced within the following fortnight.
‘‘We expect the footbridge to be out of action for about six to seven months while the work is done,’’ he said.
The project involves removing the main iron truss for repairs, recoating and reinstallation, on site repairs to the support piers, repairs and recoating of the ironwork, replacing any decayed timber and handrails, replacing deck planks and resurfacing the deck, replacing damaged intermediate wires, and permanent repairs to the pier damaged by a vehicle last year.
‘‘It’s an important conservation project, as the footbridge was built in 1917 and stands as a landmark heritage feature in Ashburton,’’ Riach said.
