Cyclone Gabrielle: Community meeting before Redclyffe Bridge reopening decision

Work has progressed on the Redclyffe Bridge between Taradale and Waiohiki, and Napier and Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland

A day for the reopening of the Redclyffe Bridge, over the Tūtaekurī River between Taradale and Waiohiki, won’t be announced until after a meeting Hastings District Council staff have with the community Wednesday.

The meeting will be held at Waiohiki Marae, starting at 4pm, and follows calls from the community to be better-informed and consulted over the future of both the bridge and the road through the community, which Waiohiki Community Charitable Trust chairman Denis O’Reilly says over the years “became a major arterial by stealth”.

It was, for many years, part of State Highway 50.

It was one of four routes between Napier and Hastings which were cut to two when Cyclone Gabrielle collapsed sections of both the two-laned Redclyffe Bridge and the single-laned Brookfields Bridge, between Meeanee and Pākōwhai in February.

The lost segment of the Redclyffe Bridge collapsed from the force of the flooded river and tonnes of trees, timber, a shipping container and other items.

The structure is being temporarily replaced by the Hastings District Council, with two lanes, to link communities separated by the calamity almost six months ago. The council said on its website the target for opening is “the first week of August”.

A particular factor was the disruption and consequently extra distances people had had to travel as a result of the damage, which destroyed 16 bridges in the Hastings council network, and badly damaged twice as many more.

With the span now in place, the council says it is discussing the issue with the community before determining when traffic will start crossing the river again. Some speed limits and other safety steps are expected to be in place.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the councils are currently considering the longer-term look of the highways and roading network on the Heretaunga Plain, including four-laning of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway and the current two-lane Taradale Bridge bottleneck.

O’Reilly said at a public meeting at Taradale last month that consultation needs to be with the wider community, not just selected representatives.

He said there are issues of safety for children as heavy traffic thunders through. The presence of EIT Te Pūkenga has also had an impact on the amount of traffic in the area. In addition there are issues relating to land, including a lack of clarity over the ownership of the road, O’Reilly said.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 50 years of journalism experience in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.