As geotechnical work begins on a replacement for Pekatahi Bridge, a Whakatāne truck driver says a lack of maintenance on the old bridge is endangering the public and his business.

Closure for maintenance of the crucial transport link on State Highway 2 had been scheduled for five days over the April school holidays but it was cancelled as Cyclone Vaianu wreaked havoc on roads around the Bay of Plenty.

Some of the surface planks are now missing from the deck, making the crossing even bumpier.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said it can’t close the bridge for repairs until the heavy vehicle detour route along Arawa Rd is opened by Whakatāne District Council.

Wozhiab operator Warren Sherborne, who in June last year said the condition of the bridge had become “critical”, said it had deteriorated further over the past year.

Wooden planks are missing from Pekatahi Bridge’s surface after a scheduled maintenance closure had to be canceled in April. Photo / Diane McCarthy

Part of Sherborne’s business was to carry transportable homes to the East Coast.

“Crossing that bridge is like sending your little transportable home through an earthquake,” he said.

“As a transporter, you have a liability to deliver the client’s goods in a condition that is acceptable. It’s almost impossible to guarantee there will be no damage with the bridge in this state.”

NZTA announced in December it intended to build a new bridge to replace the century-old, single-lane bridge, though this is currently in the design phase and completion could be years away.

NZTA Bay of Plenty maintenance and operations manager Sandra King confirmed on Tuesday the planned maintenance had been cancelled because of the cyclone.

“At the time, there was uncertainty around the potential scale of regional impacts, and the decision was made to keep the bridge open as it is a critical lifeline route.

Specialist drilling engineers Pro-Drill are carrying out work on site for the new bridge design.

“The HTPV [heavy vehicle] detour route managed by Whakatāne District Council, which is required when the bridge is closed for maintenance, has also been impacted and remains unavailable.”

She said the bridge was safe but would never have a smooth driving surface.

Weekly inspections and minor repair works were being carried out. This included removing broken boards, refixing or screwing down loose boards as required, temporary repairs, and reporting any safety concerns immediately.

“Minor repair work is focused on managing safety risks and extending the life of the bridge until the replacement bridge is completed – it will not provide a smooth driving experience and the bridge surface will remain rough.

“People are urged to drive with care and to the conditions.”

NZTA was also reviewing options to address the broken surface planks as part of the next planned maintenance closure during the July school holidays.

The Pekatahi Bridge on State Highway 2 in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Photo / NZTA

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick said she had reached out to both Whakatāne District Council and NZTA on Tuesday to impress upon them both the importance of regular upkeep on the bridge while the new one was being built.

“We cannot afford to leave the bridge for long periods of time without attention to repairs and maintenance, and they have assured me they are doing all they can to make sure it is done regularly.

“The route remains critical to the freight and produce markets, and our heavy transport operators are often dealing with challenging route disruptions.

“So the last thing they need is a failing bridge to contend with as well.”

Whakatāne Mayor Nandor Tanczos said he appreciated that the recent cyclone had delayed the maintenance Waka Kotahi had scheduled to repair the surface.

“I’ve asked Waka Kotahi for an update on when that work will be rescheduled.

“The surface is clearly a bit ropey at present, and people need to be super careful in the way they travel over the bridge,” he said.

“I encourage all users to be very careful and patient until repairs are made.

Specialist drilling engineers Pro-Drill are carrying out work on site for the new bridge design.

“It’s also worth acknowledging that the work commencement karakia has been held for the new replacement bridge, which is an important milestone and a positive step forward.”

Specialist drilling engineers Pro-Drill have been on-site, carrying out geotech investigations over the past two weeks.

Local Democracy Reporting asked haulage truck driver Robyn Boswell, who had just crossed the Pekatahi Bridge on Monday, what she thought of the bridge.

Boswell said she regularly drove across the bridge and it was not the worst area of road in the country, or even the district.

She said there were plenty of areas where NZTA was still fixing the damage to the road from weather events.

“This is what driving New Zealand roads is.

“Drivers need to read the road, slow down and drive to the conditions. The bridge has a speed limit of 30km/h. I slow down to 20km/h,” she said.

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