Media release

Bridge closed to improve 'ride'

Posted On: Wednesday, 9 July 2003

Whitiora Bridge will close this Sunday [13 July] so contractors can improve the 'ride' in the city bound lane.

Road maintenance manager Dawn Inglis says this date presented an excellent opportunity for the work.

"Sunday is usually a low-use day for the bridge, and being the middle of the school holidays we expect it to be quieter still. Therefore we shouldn't be impacting on traffic flow too much. We have blocked out 7.30am-8pm, but it's highly likely the bridge will open before then.

"We have reviewed the resurfacing work completed six months ago, we believe there is potential to further improve the ride for motorists. After six months, a small section of the bridge is a bit wavy and heavy vehicles can thump down into a join, so this work will overcome those issues," Ms Inglis says.

The work comes under the original resurfacing contract and is not expected to incur further costs to the ratepayer.

This type of work is not as dependant on weather conditions so is expected to go ahead unless conditions create a safety hazard for workers. Pedestrians and cyclists will still have access to the bridge.