A new two-lane bridge on the Coromandel’s well-used State Highway 25 will be delivered next year, costing NZTA $10 million.

The Ramarama Stream Bridge, just north of Whiritoa, is nearly a century old and carries more than 2500 vehicles per day, 13% of them in the heavy category.

“Replacing it with a two-lane bridge will improve safety and remove a bottleneck on this important Coromandel route,” NZTA’s project sponsor, infrastructure development and delivery Adrian Jones said.

The upgrade falls under a wider effort to increase the resilience of state highways around the Coromandel Peninsula, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said, adding construction will begin next month.

“The project is expected to cost around $10 million and the new bridge will be built immediately east of the existing bridge, allowing traffic to continue using the current crossing to minimise disruption during construction,” he said.

“Traffic is expected to begin using at least one lane of the new bridge by August next year, with the remaining work expected to be completed by the end of 2027 and final landscaping completed in autumn 2028.”

A sum of $20 million was allocated by Transport Minister Chris Bishop earlier this year to strengthen SH25 in the Coromandel. Photo / Bruce Mackay, The Post

Design features such as retaining walls, embankments and cuttings mean the bridge can withstand 1-in-100 year storms and earthquakes, according to NZTA.

Jones said replacing the bridge was far more cost-effective, as the current model “cannot be strengthened any more and has a 10km/h speed restriction for heavy vehicles”.

Hauraki Mayor Toby Adams likened that decision to spending a bit more for a brand new house rather than fixing an “old rotting one”.

While the council has no say in the cost or operations given the bridge’s location on a state highway, Adams said the current bridge takes “a fair old hammering”.

He added NZTA would need to upgrade all the bridges in the highway’s loop to avoid relocating choke points, especially in the busy summer months.

“We had the same things when we had the temporary roundabout in Paeroa come those busy long weekends in the summer holidays... traffic backed up.”

“It’s not the end of the world. When you’re travelling in the summer months the whole idea is to take your time so it doesn’t hurt if there’s a couple of hold-ups there just to slow things down a bit.”

The announcement follows the beginning of ground works at the Coromandel’s most notorious choke point for holidaymakers: Tairua’s Pepe Stream Bridge. That will replace the existing single-lane crossing with a two-lane concrete bridge after an 80-plus year service – costing about $22 million.

Ramarama Stream Bridge is a key corridor on SH25 and lies just outside the coastal town of Whiritoa. Photo / Hauraki District Council.

“The work to repair or upgrade nine priority bridges and culverts was given the green light in July 2024 as part of the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme,” Bishop said.

“Since then, a further five priority locations have been added, and NZTA is progressing design, consenting, and contracting so work can start.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.