Almost a year and a half on from Cyclone Gabrielle, the first major permanent rebuild of a bridge in Hastings district is complete.
Chrystal Twin Culvert on Matahorua Rd in in the Tūtira area was destroyed when flood waters sent a water tank downstream, blocking the culvert’s pipes and causing the water to build up and spread over the top of the road.
The scouring out that followed led to the road being completely washed away, creating a 35-metre gap.
In the immediate aftermath, the council’s roading team and contractors established four-wheel-drive vehicle access upstream of the culvert site and by May 2023 a permanent solution was being investigated.
The twin culvert has now been redesigned to be a 3.2m-diameter single culvert, with more than 9m of stone blocks above it, up to the formation of Matahorua Rd.