Aerial view of flooding in Canterbury as days of heavy rain has brought widespread flooding to the Canterbury Region. Video / George Heard
An alternative route through Ashburton since the closure of the main bridge is expected to be opened tonight.
A spokesman for the Ashburton District Council said they have assessed the bridge, located on State Highway One, on Tuesday morning and it will not be a band-aid type fix.
He saidthe bridge has sustained significant damage.
Located on State Highway 1, it is the main bridge across the Ashburton River, and an issue with piles has caused the bridge to start slumping.
Two to three months of rain has pelted Canterbury in the space of a few days in a deluge that has been labelled a one-in-100-year event.
Local authorities across Canterbury evacuated more than 300 properties amid wild weather that forced hundreds of residents to flee raging floodwaters threatening their homes.
2 to 3 months worth of rain in 2 to 3 days ð€¯
Here's a look at how Canterbury rainfall compares to the May monthly normal â 200 to 400% of normal!
Lismore, near Ashburton, received 238 mm in the last 2.2 days, the same amount it had received in the previous 187 days. pic.twitter.com/4aKhqoTDvv
Ashburton was one of the worst-hit areas, according to figures from Niwa, nearby Lismore received 238mm of rain in 2.2 days â the same amount it experienced in the previous 187 days.
Ten state highways were closed, while other roads were ruined and four bridges washed away.
The Ashburton bridge on State Highway One. Photo / Hamish Clark
A rare "red warning" was issued by MetService late last week, just the second time such a warning had been put out by the authority.
The red warning between Geraldine and Amberley lifted at 7pm last night but an orange warning from Amberley to KaikÅura was due to lift at midnight.
