The Wairoa Bridge cycleway will remain closed while authorities assess repair options following damage to the embankment supporting the path.
The cycleway, on the southern side of State Highway 2’s Wairoa Bridge, was closed on March 27 after prolonged heavy rainfall in January and February left soil waterlogged and triggered slips across Tauranga.
In a media statement, Tauranga City Council said while the cycleway is shut, cyclists can continue to cross the bridge using the roadway.
“Road users are being urged to take extra care, particularly as winter conditions approach. The damage is limited to the cycleway embankment and the highway remains safe for vehicles.”
The council said NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has completed geotechnical assessments at the site and confirmed funding for a long-term fix to stabilise the slip and rebuild the affected section of cycleway.
“The next stages include reviewing assessment data, selecting a preferred remediation option, completing final design work, and moving into construction.”
The council said a reopening date for the cycleway will be confirmed once construction timelines are finalised.
9 comments
cycle bullshit
Posted on 15-05-2026 16:34 | By terminal
yeh another waste of ratepayers money.... and these wa....... want to amalgamate joke
Wasting money.
Posted on 15-05-2026 17:55 | By Shirley Geros
It is absolutely disgusting to waste all that time and money to start with . Now look , unbelievable. Seem to be wasting everyones money for these cyclists.
Can I be a designer
Posted on 15-05-2026 20:05 | By gottabekidding
So maybe they put it on the left hand side where it should have always been? Why would you go down the left under the bridge back up the right then over the right to the other side of the bridge to a weird chicane to get to the other side??? Who are the designers??
Should have gone over the left past the lamp posts around the already build bank on the left side past the car park and coffee cart, done..
Change the headline please
Posted on 16-05-2026 06:49 | By Womby
It is not closed indefinitely at all
They are just still sorting out various options of how it will be repaired
Drop The Speed To 50kmh
Posted on 16-05-2026 08:41 | By Yadick
As much as the blatant arrogance of many cyclists gets right up my nose the Wairoa Bridge is a high accident area. While cyclists will now need to use the roadway over the bridge because of the lack of foresight from Council when approving the cycleway I feel the speed limit should be reduced to 50kmh. No one wants to live with the heartache that they killed or maimed someone and destroyed a family no matter who was at fault. For the sake of a life IMO it would be worth it to minimize a tragedy. If you get squished along those rails at 90kmh, it's not going to be pretty.
Cyclists will need to step it up and be hyper-aware of their surroundings as well.
Cyclists and motorists alike are going to need to be considerate.
The Master
Posted on 16-05-2026 10:55 | By Ian Stevenson
Yet another well planned, expensive waste of time and money 24/7... cycleways!
Stupidity rules...yet again
Posted on 16-05-2026 14:15 | By fair game
It is absolutely ludicrous to expect cyclists to cycle over the Wairoa Bridge. Saw a couple with young children doing that today. Cars and trucks passing with less than a metre clearance. I held back to ensure they got over safely and got tooted at by a logging truck! My suggestion is to continue using the clip-on bridge,( instead of making it an expensive lemon) , and move the cycle way up past the marae and onto Carmichael Rd. This should have been the first option anyway, instead on the mess created under the bridge. Is there a valid reason why this wasn't the 1st choice????
My prediction - a cyclist fatality in the near future - maybe that will give them something to think about. It'll be on their shoulders. Good one TCC.
Danger
Posted on 16-05-2026 16:45 | By Dee236
As a daily commuter on the bridge. I have noticed that cyclists are getting ballsy and just cycle along the narrow road that's 90ks. They're endangering themselves and the vehicles that travel across it at 90ks. I'd hate to see dead cyclists all over the bridge because they want to cause harm.
new root required
Posted on 18-05-2026 07:39 | By shihtappens
how about using the railway as per the rest of the omokoroa / tauranga cycleway and take the cycle path off the end of tepuna station rd into the back of otumoetai and directly into the city,do away with going anywhere near the main highway or is that to obvious.
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