Matapiro

No. The previous bridge was built in 1955. It was a 37.2m long 3 span concrete bridge.

The design of the new bridge is out for tender currently, but it will need to be compliant with modern best practice standards. This means it will be a minimum of 60m long, have 2 lanes and a maximum of 2 spans.

This will increase the resilience to future extreme weather and earthquake risk.

Example of what the new Matapiro Bridge could look like.

The tender for design and build of the new bridge is currently out with local bridge contractors. Investigations have informed the replacement bridge requirements which are:

• To be rebuilt on the same alignment
• Have 2 lanes of traffic
• Maximum of 2 spans
• Minimum length of 60m
• Designed to 1.2m freeboard for flooding including climate change
• Meet all modern best practice standards

Over the coming weeks engineers will be completing regular checks on the temporary structure.

Geotechnical testing for earthquake requirements is scheduled for the 10th of  April 2024.

We expect the tender to be awarded by September 2024, and construction to be complete by September 2025.

Site establishment will likely begin in late 2024.

With investigation work largely complete and more on the ground work underway and imminent, there will be increased project communications. Click here to sign up to the Kaweka Ward newsletter (which will include updates on the Matapiro Bridge).

A Bailey Bridge in place at Whanawhana is providing general access traffic loading with heavy vehicle traffic up to 50tonnes permitted at 10km/hr maximum speeds.

Whanawhana bailey bridge

Because this access is in place, priority of bridge rebuilds is going to other areas which do not have temporary access or where this is limited, like Puketapu, Kereru and Matapiro. Therefore, fewer investigations have been completed at Whanawhana and the rebuild is scheduled in the outer years of the 7-10 year recovery programme.

Engineers are completing regular checks on the temporary structure. 

Demolition of the old structure will be completed by 1 May 2024.

There will be geotechnical testing onsite in the next 4-6 weeks

The same process will be followed as was the case for Matapiro, and the new bridge will be required to meet modern design standards. It will be longer and taller than the previous bridge and have fewer piles in the water for increased resilience. The rebuild is scheduled in the outer years of the 7-10 year recovery programme.

Across the district, more than 800 slips were caused by the cyclone.

All 590 less complex slips have now been cleared and repairs made. There are a further 212 larger and more complex slips requiring investigation and major construction to repair. Almost half (102) of these are in the Kaweka Ward.

Twenty-six of these ‘tier 2 and 3’ slips are on Crownthorpe Settlement Road (6), Taihape Road (11) and Whanawhana Road – see the map below. Due to the scale and complexity of the damage, design and construction of the repairs to the road and associated drainage requires engineering expertise and resource consents. A prioritised programme of works has been developed to repair these, with priority going to maintaining access for isolated communities and key arterial routes. Council are working through the consenting and procurement process with NZTA Waka Kotahi and partners. As investigations and engineering designs are completed, contractors are being engaged to begin construction at each site.

There are 11 large and complex slip sites still present along Taihape Road that require engineering solutions. Sites have been secured and stabilised. Design has been completed for nine of these sites, and is nearing completion for the final two.

Tenders for the construction of the repair to these slips will be going out to market in the next few weeks.

We expect construction of these sites to be underway between July 2024 and June 2025. The exact construction dates will be confirmed after the tender for construction has been awarded.

Taihape Road slip site

In addition to the eighteen bridges and large culverts destroyed by the cyclone, eighty have suffered significant damage requiring large and complex repairs.

Ten of these are along Taihape Road. Initially, priority was on re-establishing access for at least one lane of traffic through this important connecting route. Temporary repairs were done to stabilise damaged bridges and they are being regularly monitored and assessed.

Designs are being finalised for the bridges and, with the exception of Blacks Bridge, permanent repairs are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Bridge 244 – Pukehamoamoa. Images of damage after the cyclone and temporary repair. Permanent repair expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

No. The funding only allows us to reinstate the bridges back to their pre-cyclone state, like for like. 

Recent repairs on the likes of Otamauri, Crownthorpe and Crownthorpe Settlement Roads are all in advance of planned resealing works. We undertake periodic maintenance like this prior to resealing as we want to minimise the intervention once we reseal a road. The Matapiro sites are beyond resealing and require the whole road to be ripped up, strengthened, and rebuilt.

Matapiro Road between ACM and the bridge (and surrounds) has been significantly damaged as a result on the cyclone. There were oversized, and overweight trucks used on the road in the immediate response phase which has resulted in a significant reduction in remaining useful life of the road, and many parts have had temporary repairs done, with more repairs required until the bridge is rebuilt.

The mode of failure along the stretch between Rapid 800-1000 indicates that a lack of pavement depth is a major factor of the problems we are seeing. Stabilising this stretch without strengthening the road (by rebuilding the pavement to an increased depth) would result in early failure still.

The increase in current and future aggregate cartage necessitates earlier than expected large scale rebuild.

This is a significant project that is outside of the normal programme of work and requires the release of funding and scheduling of a rebuild.  

Council is in the process of seeking release of funding to enable us to fast track these projects as part of Cyclone Gabrielle works. The extraordinary volume of heavy trucks responding to the effects of the cyclone, combined with higher future forecasted aggregate cartage as part of recovery works provides a strong case for us to enable these works through the cyclone response funding streams.

Physical works is likely to start after the 2024 winter. This will mean more routine maintenance will be needed until the works start.

We continue to encourage the community to report any issues requiring maintenance either by phone (06) 871 5000 or via the Hastings District Council website.  Doing so, will ensure this work is allocated to available contractors as a matter of priority. In the event of road accidents or dangerous driving, please report these to Police in the first instance.

A request for pothole repairs has been sent to our maintenance contractor. All slips across the district have been prioritised, as the slips on Whanawhana Road will be designed, and repaired in due course. At this time we cannot give a certain date when the slips will be remediated.

We continue to encourage the community to report any issues requiring maintenance either by phone (06) 871 5000 or via the Hastings District Council website. Doing so, will ensure this work is allocated to available contractors as a matter of priority. In the event of road accidents or dangerous driving, please report these to Police in the first instance.

A request for pothole repairs has been sent to our maintenance contractor. The bridge engineers will also be out in the first week of April and will assess the approach.
For the permanent fix for this bridge, the earliest this will start is September. Options have been developed and the engineering designs should be developed in May, after which the construction contract will be awarded.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are leading a flood resilience project. Currently investigations are underway for potential solutions to improve the flood resilience in the area which could include stopbanking, drainage and streams work.

Hydrological modelling is underway. A site visit over the area happened on Wednesday 27 March.

More information and updates about the project can be found here.