State Highway 50: Waipawa River Bridge set to reopen after flood damage

Damage to the Waipawa River Bridge has cut off SH50 between Ongaonga and Tikokino since June. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional Council

The State Highway 50 Waipawa River Bridge in Central Hawke’s Bay will reopen to all traffic on Friday, about two months after a large section of the bridge’s abutment was washed away.

SH50 between Ongaonga and Tikokino has been cut off since heavy rainfall caused the Waipawa River to rise significantly in late June and washed away the bridge’s abutment — the structure built to support the end of the bridge — and its approach.

It was the heaviest rainfall in Hawke’s Bay since Cyclone Gabrielle in February.

A blessing will be held on Thursday and the bridge will reopen to traffic on Friday early afternoon, with an exact time yet to be confirmed.

The fixed SH50 Waipawa River Bridge. Photo / Supplied

The damage to the bridge has meant an extra half an hour of travel for some while the bridge has been out of action.

Part of the river had to be diverted to allow work to begin on fixing the bridge.

Waka Kotahi Hawke’s Bay Tairāwhiti system manager Martin Colditz said more than 16,000 tonnes of aggregate was used to rebuild the approach to the bridge, the equivalent of the weight of more than six Olympic-size pools.

“SH50 is a crucial link north for the Central Hawke’s Bay community and an important connection to and from the lower North Island.

The bridge will reopen on Friday. Photo / Supplied

“Getting this part of the network back up and running has been a significant priority, with a massive effort by our contractors.”

He said Hawke’s Bay Regional Council assisted contractors to “redirect the river away from the washed-out abutments” during the project.

“It’s been a big job. In addition to the large quantity of aggregate, we’ve used approximately 5000 tonnes of limestone. The project has also required 17,500 square metres of geo-stabilising fabric,” Colditz said.