Urgent fix needed for Carterton bridge being 'shaken to death'

The Atiwhakatu bridge connects Wairarapa to Mount Holdsworth. (Source: Emily Ireland)

A Carterton bridge requiring urgent repair is being "shaken to death" by traffic.

By Emily Ireland of Local Democracy Reporting

With no funds currently allocated to fixing the Atiwhakatu Bridge on Norfolk Rd, Carterton District Council roading manager Graham Carson has stressed to elected members that his conscience will "not let the issue go away".

The state of the 69-year-old bridge was first brought to the council table in February 2025 via a Ruamahanga Roads report that listed the bridge as needing urgent attention.

Now, almost 16 months later, Carson was still waiting on funding for the repair.

At a recent council meeting, he told elected members his team did not currently have the money to repair the bridge or to apply for the resource consent needed to do the work.

"As an engineer, we take an oath that we have to err on the side of safety," Carson said.

"I can’t undo something I already know. When I get a bridge report done by a consultant, it doesn’t just go away ... my conscience will not let these issues go away."

The Atiwhakatu bridge is in need of urgent repair. (Source: Emily Ireland)

Council infrastructure group manager Lawrence Stephenson told Local Democracy Reporting that initial reports brought to the council table last year had been high level assessments of bridges across the district.

"Right now, we're undertaking a more detailed investigation of Atiwhakatu Bridge specifically, so that we have clear options for remediation and a more accurate cost estimate.

"When we have more information we can take next steps."

The Atiwhakatu Bridge, built in 1957, is a single-lane bridge and was designed for the types of vehicles common at that time.

It connected Wairarapa to Mount Holdsworth.

'It's just nuts': Drivers ignoring safety measures

The Atiwhakatu bridge is a single lane bridge. (Source: Emily Ireland)

The council previously asked specialist bridge engineers to assess whether the bridge could safely carry heavier vehicles that now used the bridge and, during inspections, engineers noticed the bridge vibrated more than expected, even when light vehicles crossed it.

To protect the integrity of the bridge, the council limited the vehicle weight and axle loads and reduced the maximum speed when crossing the bridge to 10km/h earlier this year.

Speed bumps had also been installed, which Carson said were being disregarded by some drivers who were tearing up the grass verge to avoid them.

Drivers are tearing up the grass verge to avoid speed bumps at the bridge. (Source: Emily Ireland)

People had even unbolted the speed bumps from the road, he said.

"The reason we put those speed bumps there is that we don’t want anything going on that bridge at speed.

"We are shaking the bridge to death."

Councillor Steve Laurence said he had witnessed a driver using the wrong side of the road to avoid the speed bump.

"It’s just nuts."

Councillor Simon Casey said it was concerning that there were currently no funds allocated to fixing the bridge "and any safety measures you are putting in place, people are ignoring".

"We’re going to end up with an incident on that bridge, sooner or later."

A close-up of the Atiwhakatu Bridge. (Source: Emily Ireland)

Stephenson said it was incredibly frustrating that some drivers were ignoring safety directives the council had put in place to protect both the structure of the bridge and the safety of those using it.

"We are taking action, and we would request that our community and all road-users follow all road signage when travelling through our – and any – district. They are in place for a reason."

The council has asked bridge specialists to look at future options, including costs, risks, and benefits. Two main approaches were being assessed.

One was limits remaining in place with work focused on maintenance and repairs. This would be lower cost, but would mean the bridge would not be suitable for heavier trucks.

The second option would include significant strengthening work so that weight restrictions could be removed.

Work would involve replacing the entire bridge deck and upgrading waterproofing, surfacing and safety barriers. This option would allow heavier vehicles to use the bridge but it was higher in cost and disruption.

Lawrence said that, like many councils across New Zealand, Carterton faced the ongoing challenge of maintaining and upgrading ageing infrastructure with a relatively small ratepayer base.

"This is not unique to our district and reflects decades of underinvestment in local roading networks nationwide."

– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air