State Highway 73, Bealey Bridge and Lake Brunner Road: bridge work affects travel next week two places

Final repairs on the Bealey Bridge in the Upper Waimakariri Valley, State Highway 73 between the West Coast and Canterbury, will involve a full night closure from 8 pm Saturday, 28 May through to 6am, Sunday 29 May.

A Bailey bridge installed to enable the repairs to take place needs to be removed and other parts of the temporary access deconstructed. (See photos below.)

The NZ Transport Agency is advertising the overnight closure widely on radio and in print media. There will be electronic signs at key points on State Highway 73 advising people of the upcoming closure times.

Emergency Services in Greymouth are in close contact with the contractor.

“There is no highway detour available in the Upper Waimakariri, so drivers need to take the Lewis Pass route between Greymouth and Christchurch, State Highway 7, for travel that night,” said Lee Wright, Transport Agency Journey Manager.

The Bealey Bridge is about 9 km from Arthur’s Pass on the Canterbury side of the Alps. “The Transport Agency apologises for any inconvenience caused to road users while this important piece of bridge repair and reconstruction is completed,” she said.

The repairs to the bridge and one of its abutments was scheduled to take three months from mid-April but work has progressed well and should be all completed by Queen’s Birthday Weekend 2 June, she said.

For further details on this project, read the original media statement here.

Road closure Lake Brunner Road, detour state highways 73 and 6, Thursday, 26 May and possibly Friday, 27 May

The Grey District Council is closing Lake Brunner Road at the Crooked River No.2 Bridge on Thursday 26 May and possibly Friday 27 May for urgent bridge works.

Alternative routes are available for light vehicles via Bell Hill Road, Kotuku Bell Hill Road and Blair Road, and for Heavy Commercial Vehicles via State Highway 73 and State Highway 6.

Overweight, Overdimension, HPMV & 50Max vehicles will either need to be postponed over those dates or redirected within the allowances in their permits.

ENDS

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