MEDIA RELEASE

11 October 2018 | SOUTHERN REGION

Highway between Canterbury and West Coast, SH73, overnight repairs Bealey Bridge, Waimakariri River

People who drive between the West Coast and Canterbury, on State Highway 73, will have up to 50 minute delays from this Sunday night, 14 October, between 8 pm and 6 am.

“Repairs to the bridge are needed – both to repair damage from two earlier crashes, one of which significantly damaged the side rail for several metres, and while we have the highway closed, to do some routine maintenance so people are not inconvenienced later,” says Barry Stratton, Maintenance Contract Manager for the NZ Transport Agency.

The Bealey Bridge over the Waimakariri River before it was damaged by two car crashes recently, looking east:

After the September car crash – temporary safety barriers were installed in the interim to keep road users safe:

Because this is a key route between the west and east coast of the South Island, the repairs will occur overnight from Sunday, 14 October, through to 6 am Wednesday, 17 October.

The Transport Agency thanks all drivers for their patience while this essential work is completed.

· The bridge is one lane so drivers could have delays of up to 50 minutes over the three nights as traffic is let through at the top of the hour for ten minutes – 8.00-8.10 pm, 9.00-9.10 pm etc.

· Truck drivers with wide loads will be allowed across in these open intervals.

· Electronic (VMS) boards have been advertising this work on each side of the bridge to alert regular drivers to the upcoming delays in recent days.

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