Contractors are beginning work on Monday (August 12) to build a shared path on the eastern side of the Ōtaki River bridge.

The southbound lane will be closed 24/7 throughout construction, requiring stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit. Stop/go lights will be in place until just before Christmas.

The stop/go traffic management is to ensure traffic is safely separated from excavation work.

NZTA Waka Kotahi says work to install foundations is expected to be completed in December, which means the road should be fully open for the summer holiday period.

The shared path will be completed by February 2025. The wider shared path through the Ōtaki Railway area is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Waka Kotahi’s regional manager infrastructure delivery, Jetesh Bhula, says every effort has been made to minimise the impact on traffic.

“We appreciate this is an important road and connection for the community,” he says. “This is why we will keep one lane of the bridge open at all times and under stop/go traffic management while the project is under way.”

He says drivers can expect delays of no more than six minutes during peak-hour traffic time while the work is happening.

The new shared path will be attached to the existing road bridge, requiring two new abutments on either side of the river.

Steel brackets will be attached to the 14 existing bridge piers, and the 15 bridge truss sections, comprising high-strength fibreglass, will span the 220-metre length of the bridge.

Work crews have been on site since the end of July working to install temporary traffic lights at both ends of the bridge.

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