The first steps towards replacing four of the promised 10 one-lane Northland bridges will get under way this month.
The New Zealand Transport Agency will meet with contractors to discuss the imminent replacement of the two Matakohe Bridges - positioned on State Highway 12 between Ruawai and Maungaturoto, along withKaeo Bridge and the 107-metre Taipa Bridge.
As the National Party struggled to woo voters during the 2015 Northland by-election, it announced it would replace 10 of the region's one-lane bridges on state highways.
The programme was expected to cost between $32 million and $69 million.
Northland MP Winston Peters questioned earlier this year what had happened to the remaining six, which he said National had not budgeted for, however a spokesman for Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the Government remained committed to upgrading all 10 single-lane bridges on Northland's Twin Coast Highway over the next six years,
These included Waihou River (Rangiahua) Bridge on State Highway 1N, Tirohanga Stream Bridge on State Highway 11, Taheke Bridge on State Highway 12, Waimamaku River (Hallahans) Bridge on State Highway 12, Waimamaku River (Lowes) Bridge on State Highway 12, Darby and Joan Kauri Bridge on State Highway 12. NZTA would initiate an Early Contractor Involvement tender for the four bridges to be replaced.
