Shaping new two-lane bridges

The original Taipa bridge was built in 1899, and hasn't changed much since.

The New Zealand Transport Agency says significant progress is being made towards replacing two of the Far North's one-lane bridges on State Highway 10, at Taipa and Kaeo.

And now it wants community feedback to help shape the designs of the new two-way bridges.

"Replacing these bridges will provide greater resilience during extreme weather events, as well as providing better connections for all users along the Twin Coast Discovery route between the Bay of Islands and Doubtless Bay," Northland highway manager Brett Gliddon said.

The proposal for the new bridge in Taipa included two traffic lanes as well as a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists.

There were also plans for a swimming platform in a similar location to the current platform, a popular jumping spot for local children and visitors.

The new bridge and approaches at Kaeo would be higher to put them out of reach of flood waters, while safety would be improved by reconfiguring the sharp corner on the north-bound approach and upgrading the Whangaroa Road intersection to improve visibility.

"These bridge upgrades are part of the government's commitment to invest in Northland's state highway network to stimulate economic growth throughout the region, and improve connections with the rest of New Zealand," Mr Gliddon added.

Public open days had been organised at Taipa and Kaeo this week to update the community, give people a chance to talk to the project teams and offer their thoughts on the proposed changes.

Detailed designs would be developed once feedback had been collated, with construction expected to start when resource consents had been secured.

The public sessions are scheduled for the Kaeo Memorial Hall tomorrow and Taipa Area School on Thursday, both from 3pm to 7pm.