Although, what would have happened? Onerahi and Whangarei Heads residents would have just done what they did before the bridge was there - driven to Whangarei Heads through the Town Basin.
Bascule bridges get stuck, they have their ups and downs.
Last October, the Longboat Pass bridge in Manatee County, Florida, got stuck in the "down" position.
The town council likened the bridge sticking to a dead bolt on a door sticking when components were out of line. The bridge's components may have shifted out of line because of a contractor doing some work on the bridge. The repair bill has been estimated at up to US$2 million ($2.9 million).
Earlier this year, residents of the Venetian Islands in Miami campaigned to have a bascule bridge locked in the "down" position during roadworks.
The bridge apparently gets stuck when open, and residents argued if it happened during works, they would be cut off.
These bridges have a way to go though, before they are as stuck up as the Crook Point Bascule Bridge which connects Providence, Rhode Island, to the city of East Providence. It has been stuck in the open position since its abandonment in 1976.
Arguably, the worst part about Te Matau Pohe getting stuck is it's a bit embarrassing.
It's won more than one award, and its design has been applauded. Except that the design is flawed. Either that or the materials it is constructed from are flawed.
Either way, there is an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. We could create an award-winning cooling system, using desalinated water from the Hatea River, that flows or sprays water over the two "hooks" on the bridge.
Yep, what you've there isn't a bridge that gets stuck Whangarei.
It's a potential water feature.
