Four options for a new bridge in Te Puke have been unveiled, but a permanent solution could still be 18 months away.

About 30 Western Bay of Plenty properties on No 4 Road were affected when the original bridge over Raparapahoe Stream washed away in severe weather on January 29.

A private road provided access for six weeks, but it wasn’t suitable for heavy vehicles.

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council installed a portable, prefabricated truss Bailey bridge in March, in time for the kiwifruit harvest.

It’s estimated there is around 200 hectares of kiwifruit across the affected properties.

Now the council is working on a permanent solution, with four proposed options presented to councillors by senior transportation engineer Calum McLean at a project and monitoring meeting in August.

Option 1 would see a new 30m bridge placed just east of the former and temporary bridge, at an estimated cost of $2.75 million.

Option 2 is a new bridge placed 40m upstream of the former bridge, costing $3.5 million. It would be a similar length to option 1, but have a 7 percent slope because of the difference in ground height on the road either side of the river.

A graphic showing options 1, 2 and 3 for the new bridge. Image: WBOPDC.

The third option is a 60m long bridge 70m upstream of the old bridge, but being double the size it would need a centre pier in the river valley and cost of $6.75 million. It would have a 15 per cent slope, which McLean said would be steeper than any of the roads in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Option 4 is to install the bridge in the same place as the former bridge, but would mean the Bailey bridge would have to be removed and road closed leaving the residents with only private access for more than six months. This would cost $2.65m.

All four options are for a single lane bridge because that is what was there before. Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency will fund between 50 and 70 per cent of the replacement bridge.

If this were to be upgraded to a two way bridge the extra cost would need to be ratepayer funded or funded through the National Land Transport Fund and require a business case to be sent to Waka Kotahi, said McLean’s report to council.

Engineering consultant WSP carried out the options assessment and recommended option 1 or option 4.

This is because the geology of the ground around the current bridge is known, the alignment for the bridge would be flat, turning circles and bridge access for heavy vehicles would remain the same.

Also, iwi are keen to keep the bridge close to the original position to limit the disturbance to the stream and having a shorter bridge means no central pier is needed, according to WSP’s report to council.

The old bridge was washed out in January. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

McLean told Local Democracy Reporting the council is committed to rebuilding a permanent bridge on No.4 Road in Te Puke.

“It’s important we take time to hear the community’s feedback and understand what they want before we commence design of the new bridge.

“We are making plans to meet with the community and hear their feedback on the proposed designs and intend to do this by late October.

“Once we have heard their feedback on the proposed designs, information will be brought back to council before Christmas to make a decision, after having considered what our community tells us.

“A timeline of works will follow these important steps in the process, and construction is expected to take place in the next 18 months.”

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