A date has been set for construction to begin on the Dartmoor Bridge, almost three years after it was destroyed in Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Dartmoor Rd bridge over the Mangaone River suffered a complete loss of all five bridge piers and seven spans during the February 2023 cyclone.

A pedestrian bridge was installed at the end of March that year, followed by a temporary single-lane bridge on April 5 that is still in use.

Hastings District Council programme delivery manager David Scrimgeour said construction would begin on the new structure on February 2 and the rebuild would have minimal impact on road users and residents.

The new bridge will be built immediately downstream from the temporary structure and will be 104m in length with four spans.

Scrimgeour said it would be rebuilt with a single lane because of low traffic volumes, but wide enough for modern farm equipment to safely traverse it, and high productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) loading.

“The temporary structure will remain open throughout construction of the permanent bridge.”

Scrimgeour said the rebuild of the bridge was expected to be finished in late 2026 and was expected to cost $13m, all of which is 100% Government funded through National Infrastructure Funding and Financing.

Pier piling is complete, with the installation of abutments underway at the Rissington Bridge. Photo / Hastings District Council

Meanwhile, Scrimgeour said the Rissington bridge rebuild was progressing as planned and is on track to be completed by September 2026.

“The pier piling is complete, with the installation of abutments underway; pier column reinforcing is being and has been installed in preparation for concrete pouring.”

Scrimgeour said the precast headstocks, which sit on top of the pier columns, will be installed in late February, and beam installation is expected to begin late March or early April.

“Ahead of tree felling needed for site access, bats were recorded during acoustic monitoring, which required ecologist input to manage removal, in line with Resource Consent conditions.

“Additional testing was required for the ground improvement verification (densification of soft soils using rammed aggregate stone columns).”

Scrimgeour said Follies Bridge on Waihau Rd is currently in detailed design, with construction planned to start following the completion of Dartmoor Bridge.

Construction is expected to take about nine months, and the design will inform the construction cost.

“Dartmoor has slightly more challenges than Rissington Bridge due to the need for deeper foundation piles and larger temporary works footprint as access is more constrained,” Scrimgeour said.

“Those are well understood by Fulton Hogan following the early contractor involvement phase, which helped shape the final design prior to contract award.”

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.