Hastings District: First permanent bridge rebuild since Cyclone Gabrielle completed in Tūtira

Almost a year and a half on from Cyclone Gabrielle, the first major permanent rebuild of a bridge in Hastings district is complete.

Chrystal Twin Culvert on Matahorua Rd in in the Tūtira area was destroyed when flood waters sent a water tank downstream, blocking the culvert’s pipes and causing the water to build up and spread over the top of the road.

The scouring out that followed led to the road being completely washed away, creating a 35-metre gap.

In the immediate aftermath, the council’s roading team and contractors established four-wheel-drive vehicle access upstream of the culvert site and by May 2023 a permanent solution was being investigated.

The twin culvert has now been redesigned to be a 3.2m-diameter single culvert, with more than 9m of stone blocks above it, up to the formation of Matahorua Rd.

It will now be known as Chrystal Culvert.

The community gathered with representatives of the Government, Hastings District Council, mana whenua, the project designers and contractors to officially open Chrystal Culvert.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said that in the face of a huge programme of work to restore the transport network, it was heartening to have a permanent rebuild completed.

“Our thanks go to the Government for the funding support to undertake this extensive rebuild that’s vital for the community for now and for future resilience.”

“It’s been a large and complex job and we have been very grateful to the community for their patience during months of reconstruction.”

During the storm, 13 bridges and six large culverts were destroyed amid significant damage to the roading network across the Hastings district, including hundreds of slips and a further 160 bridges impacted and in need of repair.

Hazlehurst said other large rebuilds are under way or scheduled over the next seven to 10 years.

In Tūtira, this includes the repair of the Waikoau Bridge and the design work for the Arapawanui low-level crossing and Kahika culvert.

Elsewhere in the district, work began in June on rebuilding a permanent bridge at Puketapu, and work is also under way on Dartmoor Rd, rebuilding after a large washout.

In March, work also began on the permanent repair of Kererū Gorge Rd, where 50m of road was lost.

A supplier panel of four contractors has been set up and will tender for large packages of slip repair work.

The first of these will be along Taihape Rd and this has been awarded to TW Group, which will begin site establishment in early August.