Fletchers Construction will take the lead on building Ashburton’s second bridge.
Minister for the South Island and Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the New Zealand Transport Agency has signed a contract with the company to progress the detailed bridge design.
“Construction can kick off next year,” he said.
“Fletchers Construction, together with its main design consultant AECOM, will refine the design, explore better construction methods, make the most of local opportunities, and address any potential challenges.
A design and construction contract was expected to be signed at the end of the year.
“I look forward to announcing next steps once negotiations have concluded.”
Crown delivery funding was secured for the project in December last year, with the transport agency approving the business case and signing a partner delivery agreement with Ashburton District Council in April.
Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said it was another exciting milestone in the project.
“Things are moving at pace,” Brown said.
“The next milestone will be how much it costs, when they have designed and priced it.”
The Second Ashburton Bridge project will provide access across the 650m wide Ashburton River riverbed, about 800m east (downstream) of the existing SH1 bridge.
On the north side of the river the bridge extends from Chalmers Avenue. On the south side of the river, a new road, funded by the Ashburton District Council, will connect the bridge to Carters Terrace and on to Grahams Road.
The project also includes roundabouts, new intersections and provision for people walking and cycling.
The geotechnical investigations in and around Hakatere/Ashburton River have been completed and borehole samples are being analysed to better understand the ground conditions for the new bridge Meager said.
“The project team is progressing property purchases, statutory approvals, and procurement.”
The second crossing has been a long-time coming, with around 24,000 vehicles using the current bridge daily he said.
“This is a key route for ensuring our people and goods can get up and down the South Island and needs to be future-proofed.
“The new bridge will be a vital connection for Tinwald to Ashburton, relieving congestion on State Highway 1, and improving network resilience south to Otago in the case of emergency events like flooding.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
