Ashburton River bridge repaired, back to 50km/h

The Ashburton bridge on State Highway One was closed after slumping. Photo / Phil Hooper

The dip in the Ashburton River bridge has been repaired and it is back up and running as normal.

A Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency spokesperson said the speed limit is now back to 50km/h.

Since the flooding in Canterbury last month, the dip in the bridge meant the speed was reduced to 30km/h, delaying traffic at peak periods.

The bridge now has 24/7 access for most vehicles.

The bridge is open for over-dimension loads and the operating requirements for over-dimensions are as they were before the flood, the spokesperson said,

The traffic management on the bridge has been substantially removed.

Overweight guidelines are being finalised and will be updated later on Tuesday direct to industry/freight partners.

Electronic monitoring equipment was also installed to allow remote monitoring of the structure.

Timeline for repair

Waka Kotahi is aiming to complete the repair to the bridge pier in the next two months.

"In the coming months we will be jacking the bridge to the right level at the damaged pier and fixing it at the right height," said network manager Jessica McFarlane.

"We will leave the jacks in places so if we need to make any adjustments in future, they can be made easily."

McFarlane said she thanks all bridge users for their patience over the past three weeks as this bridge investigation got underway and traffic management for everyone's safety was put in place.