After years of discussion and debate, the start of construction for Ashburton’s $144m second bridge project is under way.
It’s an important occasion, Ashburton Mayor Liz McMillan says.
McMillan alongside representatives from government, NZTA, council and Arowhenua Marae were on site on Friday to celebrate the milestone.
The whole community looked forward to the end of next year when vehicles would be driving over the new river crossing, McMillan said.
“This is something we’ve needed for years now and the new bridge will help get local traffic off a congested State Highway 1, and add resilience for the Tinwald community.’’
Early works for the bridge and new connecting road have been under way for several months and now a design and build contract has been signed with Fletcher Construction, the main construction can officially begin, she said.
It is a joint project between NZ Transport Agency and council, with government paying for the bridge and council paying for the connecting road from Carters Terrace to Grahams Rd.
Council is budgeting for the cost of the connecting road to be $19.7m and has $16m tagged for the project in its Annual Plan 2026-27.
Council is also taking the opportunity to install a new water main from Chalmers Ave to Grahams Rd – the $3.9m cost has been included in the water services budget for the next financial year.
“The new water main will also improve the drinking water supply to Tinwald and pave the way for residential development,’’ McMillan said.
‘‘That extra work adds to our spend but the new water main was already budgeted for in our Water Services Delivery Plan and it makes good sense to do it at the same time as the new road.’’
Tewera King, upoko of Arowhenua Marae, paid tribute to the many years of work done by the community including past Mayors Angus McKay, Donna Favel and most recently Neil Brown who had also rallied for the project.
‘‘It’s a really, really great day, because it’s been a long battle to get this bridge. There’s been a few governments that we have had to battle with for this bridge to happen. And now it is happening.’’
‘‘The most important thing today, at this point in time, is the acknowledgement of the project that was started by the people to have this bridge here,’’ he said.
‘‘I acknowledge you all and congratulate you all on behalf of my marae at Arowhenua for getting this job done.’’
Minister of Transport Chris Bishop, unable to be at the event due to a flight cancellation from Wellington, said the second crossing over the Ashburton River would be a game-changer for residents moving around town.
“It will also be important for economic growth as traffic volumes ease for commuters, tourists, and freight operators on the existing crossing via State Highway 1.’’
The project is one of the Government’s Roads of Regional Significance being delivered by NZTA in partnership with council.
James Meager, Associate Transport Minster and Minister for the South Island, was also unable to attend because of the cancelled flight, but said the second bridge and new connection road would be 2.46km long and include two traffic lanes, on-road cycle facilities, and a shared path.
“About 24,000 vehicles use the current bridge daily. This is a key route for ensuring our people and goods can get up and down the South Island and needs to be future-proofed.
“Having a second crossing connecting Tinwald to Ashburton provides a critical back-up and lifeline in the event of crashes, emergencies or severe weather events that may impact SH1, which has occurred in recent years.”
“The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2027, with an estimated total project cost of between $134 to $144 million.”
