The 78-year-old Morgans Road No 2 Bridge at Lower Wairau near Blenheim has had a reprieve with councillors opting to extend its life for another five years.

Following feedback to Marlborough Roads from the local community, Council has agreed to strengthen the narrow 18m long timber bridge over Roses Overflow for light vehicles (less than 3.5 tonnes).

The bridge, built just after the Second World War, was structurally assessed late last year and a full closure of the aging structure to vehicles was recommended for public safety reasons.

Marlborough Roads System Manager Wayne Oldfield said Council’s priority in the short term was to strengthen the bridge in the interests of public safety and to ensure it was suitable for use by light vehicles.

“Replacing the existing structure with a bridge suitable for light vehicles will give Council time to fully consider and cost a long-term solution while providing surety of access for local residents, including during flood events.

“We will undertake a feasibility study and fully consider a business case about longer term options including replacement as well as resilience and safety improvements at nearby Jones Road,” Mr Oldfield said.

For now, Marlborough Roads will carry out essential handrail and bollard repairs in the coming weeks before commencing the strengthening investigations and designs.

During this time, Morgans Road No 2 Bridge will remain open to the public under its current weight restriction until this work can be scheduled, but caution is still advised.

“Once the strengthening investigations and designs have been done, we will communicate with the community on the timings for these works,” Mr Oldfield said.

The cost of strengthening the bridge to ensure it will be safe for use for light vehicles for the next five years is about $120,000. The work will take around one month to complete, during which time the bridge will be closed, and will be funded through existing capital bridge budgets.

© Scoop Media