SH25a to reopen by Christmas, three months ahead of schedule

The reopening of one of Coromandel’s main routes before the holiday rush is set to be an “early Christmas present” for the region, the local MP has said.
It comes after Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency announced that the two sides of the Coromandel Peninsula will be reconnected once again, with traffic able to cross the SH25A bridge by December 20 – three months earlier than expected.
“We’ve built the bridge in record time by accelerating our work programme, with teams working 24 hour shifts both onsite and offsite,” NZTA’s regional manager of infrastructure delivery for Waikato/Bay of Plenty Jo Wilton said. “In addition, we used a bridge design we already had and repurposed steel plates which had been purchased for [Tauranga’s] Minden bridge… meaning we didn’t have a lengthy wait for steel to come in from overseas.”
The new Taparahi Bridge on State Highway 25A between Kōpū and Hikuai has been constructed in less than seven months, after the road was washed away by severe weather earlier this year.
Ms Wilton said while there was still a lot of work to do to finish the bridge by Christmas, getting traffic across as soon as possible had always been the aim for Waka Kotahi.
“Our team has done an amazing job, not only constructing the new bridge in record time, but at the same time we’ve invested an additional $25m to enable multiple crews to clear slips, replace the original undersized culvert, and undertake crucial road maintenance work along the rest of the length of SH25A to ensure the whole corridor is up to scratch, safe and more resilient.
“Getting this maintenance work completed now also means we can avoid further work and disruption for drivers during the busy summer period,” said said.
“We’d like to thank everyone who is working so hard to get this bridge open by Christmas and our special thanks to the Coromandel community for their patience and support. We know it’s been a tough year and we hope this new bridge is the gift that helps get the Peninsula back on its feet.”
Coromandel MP Scott Simpson rejoiced at the news.
“I’m delighted that NZTA has announced repairs to SH25A are well-ahead of their schedule and the route is expected to reopen in time for Christmas and summer holidaymakers to visit the Coromandel.
“By the time the highway reopens it will have been 11 long months of disruption, heartache and financial anxiety for our region.
“I was very critical that it took six months for work to get underway, but I couldn’t be happier with the efforts of the contractors and the workers on the ground,” he said. “To be in a position to reconnect our communities and fully reopen the Coromandel in time for Christmas is only possible because of their professionalism and hard-work.”
With finishing works still ongoing, the bridge will open under traffic management at a reduced speed.  The project team will be completing drainage and planting, so the project won’t be fully complete for a few more months. This work won’t require the road to be closed, though traffic management will be required from time to time.
The cost of the bridge, once everything is finished, is expected to be around $43m.