Contractors are expected to work through until New Year clearing the rubble from the Domain Road interchange fire on the Tauranga Eastern Link.

Removing the steel reinforcing is expected to be completed before Christmas, leaving the damaged expanded polystyrene core blocks to be removed, so the reconstruction can begin in the New Year.

Demolition in full swing this week.

The deliberately lit fire on November 20 destroyed a five metre section of the expanded polystyrene blocks and concrete deck of embankment two, and damaged some of the concrete facing panels, the concrete deck beams and the columns of one of the Domain Road bridge B abutments.

Repair costs are estimated at over $2 million. The project was ahead of schedule before the fire and TEL staff believe they can keep the project to the target completion date.

Despite the fire, it's business as usual for the rest of the project, with several key milestones due to be completed over the coming months, including the Parton Road bridge, installation of the new electronic toll gantry and placing the Mangatawa interchange bridge beams over SH2.

Read more about the project: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects

'The exact cost of the repairs will not be known until additional strength tests have been completed and the contractor starts dismantling damaged components,” says senior project manager, Wayne Troughton.

'At this stage we plan to rebuild the embankment quickly and our goal is that there will be no effect on the project opening date in mid-late 2015.”

Polystyrene blocks are used as fill in the bridge and abutments because the western end of the Tauranga Eastern Link is built over a former swamp.