The end of boat rides: Dartmoor residents welcome temporary footbridge over Mangaone River

Dartmoor residents walking on the newly installed pedestrian bridge across the Mangaone River. Photo / Hastings District Council

Residents in the partially cut-off rural Hawke’s Bay community of Dartmoor now have a safer way to cross the Mangaone River thanks to a newly opened pedestrian bridge.

The temporary footbridge has been installed just 100 metres downstream from an existing bridge that had previously collapsed when water rushed down the river as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle.

In the interim, residents had been using a boat and pulley system to get across the river and transport essential supplies.

While this acted as a vital temporary solution, many residents had concerns over the safety and longevity of the crossing.

Upper Dartmoor resident Michele Radovancich said the bridge was “a huge improvement” on the old system, especially for those that were struggling to or could not use the dinghy system.

“[The bridge] is way better because we don’t have to go across in the dinghy and pull ourselves across,” she said.

“It’s safer, you don’t get a wet bum and you don’t get muddy.”

She said while the temporary bridge itself was great, it was still challenging for some residents to actually get to the bridge site.

“We still have flooded and dropped-out roads, so we’ve still got a few things to negotiate.”

She said it still takes her about an hour and 45 minutes to get to her workplace in Hastings.

Getting to the bridge also required “walking across [the] silty riverbed”, so wearing gumboots was advised.

A spokesperson for Hastings District Council said the installation of the pedestrian bridge was part of the council’s temporary bridge installation project.

“Concrete Structures have been engaged by Council to construct the temporary bridge. The bridge consists of two 15m spans with a longer middle span of 41 metres and a total length of 71 metres. This is a single lane bridge with 40-tonne capacity.”

The spokesperson said the raft crossing made it challenging to get freight such as heavy gas bottles and fuel containers across the river.

They also pointed out the need for children to get to school and several commuters having to cross early every morning to make it to work in time.

“The pedestrian bridge is making a huge difference, improving the safety of the crossing and making it easier to get essential items across the river.”