Mayor welcomes temporary bridge for Pirongia

Waipā District Mayor Mike Pettit has welcomed today’s announcement from the Transport Minister Chris Bishop that a temporary bridge will be in place on State Highway 39 by mid-March, reconnecting the Pirongia and wider communities.

The Mangati Bridge, which connected Pirongia south to Ōtorohanga on SH39, was destroyed in the severe floods the hit the western Waikato over February 13 and 14.

“Today’s announcement is really welcome news for our Pirongia community. Getting a temporary bridge in place so quickly means people can get back to their normal routines much sooner,” Mayor Pettit said.

The plan is for a 40-metre steel temporary bridge to be built just upstream of the old Mangati Bridge site, with traffic safely managed by temporary lights and a 50-tonne weight limit in place.

“Crews have already cleared huge amounts of debris, and work has started on the approaches and on getting the bridge components ready to assemble. Once everything is on site, the bridge itself should go up in around four days,” he said.

Mayor Pettit acknowledged the speed of the response from Central Government, NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and agency partners.

“A big thanks to Minister Chris Bishop and all our government partners for moving so quickly on this. Getting a temporary bridge in by mid-March is exactly what our Pirongia community needed, and we really appreciate the speedy action.”

He said the temporary structure would provide an important link while work progresses on a permanent solution.

Design and planning for the new permanent bridge are being accelerated by the NZTA so construction can start later this year.

“I know the last couple of weeks have been tough, and I really appreciate the patience and resilience our community has shown. We’ll keep you updated every step of the way as this work continues.”