List of projects: Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle repairs and replacements well under way

The opening of the Rissington Bailey bridge in March 2023. Photo / Paul Taylor

A replacement is coming for Rissington’s temporary Bailey bridge.

Hawke’s Bay councils are making steady progress in repairing transport routes and building flood resilience after Cyclone Gabrielle, with more bridge repairs announced to start work later this year.

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has said that, as of the end of February this year, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and Auckland councils had stabilised 1125 slips, completed 51km of stopbanks and repaired 25 bridges.

“The Crown cost-share agreements with these councils provided more than $1.6 billion for the council-led Category 3 residential property buyouts, flood risk mitigation and local transport projects,” Mitchell said.

One of these projects is the rebuilding of the Rissington Bridge after the previous 95-year-old bridge was destroyed during Cyclone Gabrielle and has been operating as a one-lane bridge since March 2023.

The Rissington temporary Bailey bridge. Photo / Warren Buckland

A Hastings District Council spokeswoman said construction would start towards the end of August, with work expected to take about a year.

The new bridge will be 78m long, with two lanes. It will be built next to the temporary Bailey bridge downstream, which will remain open while work continues.

Meanwhile, repair work on the Follies Bailey bridge on Waihau Rd is still subject to an economic assessment for funding by Hastings council, which will determine its repair or replacement, with construction expected to begin sometime next year.

The Follies Bailey bridge on Waihau Rd. Photo / Michaela Gower

The temporary bridge will have to be removed to complete the works. The council spokeswoman said a detour route would be decided nearer the time.

There would be community engagement about any alternative routes identified, with works expected to take six to 12 months, depending on whether the council decides to repair or replace the bridge and the funded structure options.

Flood and landslip risk mitigation projects in Hawke’s Bay

• Havelock North Mangarau Stream 2C upgrade. Community-scale flood protection, includes widening the stream and upgrading infrastructure. Completed by June 2026.
• Omāhu / Ohiti Road flood management scheme. Widen the stream bed and build stop banks. Completed by May 2026.
• Pakowhai. Flood resilience project to protect residential properties in Pakowhai. Completed by March 2027.
• Pōrongahau. Flood resilience project to protect Category 2C properties in Pōrongahau. Completed by December 2026.
• Pump stations. Upgrades to pump stations across three sites. Completed by December 2026.
• Rapid repairs level of service. Service upgrades across multiple sites where initial temporary or medium-term repairs were implemented following flooding events. Completed by May 2027.
• Relocate Waipawa water treatment plant. Relocate treatment plant to higher ground. Completed by April 2026.
• Scheme reviews. Flood protection schemes review to consider compliance with best practice and industry standards. Completed by January 2026.
• Telemetry upgrade. Replace damaged monitoring hardware and improve resilience of the telemetry network. Completed by June 2026.
• Waiohiki flood mitigation. Construction of a stop bank with associated drainage works. Completed by May 2026.
• Wairoa flood risk mitigation. Create flood protection spillway for North Clyde. Completed by March 2027.
• Whirinaki flood management scheme. Extend and upgrade stop banks and upgrade State Highway 2. Completed by March 2027.

Local Transport Projects

• Aropaoanui low-level bridge rebuild. Replacement of the existing bridge and concrete spillway with seven box culverts at a raised level. June 2027.
• Chrystal twin culvert. New larger permanent culvert structure. Completed by June 2025.
• Cyclone road renewals. Roading repairs. Completed by June 2025.
• Dartmoor Bridge rebuild. Restore seven slip sites. Completed by December 2025.
• Four regional transport projects. Repairs to four road sites in Central Hawke’s Bay: Elsthorpe Road, Fletchers Crossing Bridge, Wimbledon Road. Completed by January 2026.
• Glengarry Rd slips. Repair road to pre-cyclone level of service. Completed by June 2025.
• Kahika Rd culvert. Reinstate stream bed and repair existing culvert. Completed by June 2025.
• Kahuranaki Rd slip. Repair road to pre-cyclone level of service. Completed by June 2025.
• Kereru Rd third gorge culvert. A new larger permanent culvert structure will be put in place. Completed by June 2025.
• Kereru Rd slips. Three significant slips to be repaired, returning road to pre-cyclone level of service. Completed by June 2025.
• Matapiro Bridge replacement. Replacement bridge along the same alignment, with a higher deck. Completed by August 2025.
• McVicars culvert rebuild. Construct a spillway to improve resilience. Completed by July 2026.
• Puketapu Bridge 245 rebuild. Replacement of original single lane bridge to a two-lane bridge and shared use path. Completed by September 2025.
• Puketitiri Rd tier 2 and 3 slips. Repair of 13 significant under-slips. Completed by October 2025.
• Rissington Bridge replacement. Full bridge replacement. Completed by September 2027.
• Slips tier 0 and 1. Slip and culvert road repairs. Completed.
• Taihape Rd slips. A like-for-like replacement to repair slips in the regional arterial route between Napier and Taihape, to reinstate the road to two lanes. Completed by June 2026.
• Waihau Rd slips. A range of repairs tailored for each of 11 slips, including retreat and erosion protection to mitigate against future events. Completed by September 2026.
• Waimarama Rd slip. Repair damaged road shoulder and repair the culvert. Completed by August 2025.
• Wairoa Te Reinga Bridge replacement. Permanent replacement bridge. Completed by December 2025.
• Whanawhana Bridge. Bridge repairs. December 2026.