Two-lane Tairua bridge project gets under way

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

Construction is about to begin on a $22 million upgrade of Tairua's single-lane Pepe Stream Bridge, with local leaders marking the milestone on Tuesday and challenging contractors to complete the project a year ahead of schedule.

The project will replace the existing single-lane crossing with a two-lane concrete bridge, remove the pedestrian footbridge, and be built in two stages to keep traffic moving throughout construction.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson, Thames-Coromandel acting mayor John Grant and project manager Dale McElhinney led a group across the bridge's pedestrian footbridge on Tuesday to mark the start of the works.

Work is about to begin on the $22 million upgrade of Tairua's single-lane Pepe Stream Bridge.

The State Highway 25 bridge has long been a bottleneck for traffic heading to holiday destinations further up Coromandel Peninsula, with waits of more than an hour during peak periods not uncommon.

Grant challenged contractors to complete the bridge by the end of December, 12 months ahead of its expected completion date.

He later told Waikato Times, the challenge was “tongue in cheek” but said it “may provoke something”.

Acting mayor John Grant laid down a ‘tongue in cheek’ challenge to contractors to finish the bridge by the end of the year.

“Everybody north of this bridge can speak, very personally about the experiences they've had, particularly through the summers and, some of the delays that they have had.”

The existing bridge carries about 2000 vehicles a day, with traffic significantly higher during the summer months.

Simpson said the project would enhance the wellbeing and lifestyle of Coromandel residents.

The bridge will transform the entrance to Tairua, NZTA regional relationships director Andrew Corkill says.

“I kind of joke, but there is an element of truth to it, but when Auckland goes on holiday they take their traffic jams with them.”

While Coromandel experienced a 'remarkable' seasonal influx of visitors, he said the region needed infrastructure that could cope.

“That's a challenging economic and seasonal dynamic that is relatively unique to us here on the Coromandel.”

The current bridge has served Tairua for more than 80 years but has reached the end of its practical life.

Tairua firefighter Ernest Welthagen says the bridge will make a difference for crews heading to emergencies.

McElhinney said their internal goal was having the bridge partially built by Christmas.

He said the goal was to reach a point where they 'make it as little as looking like a construction site as we can'.

He said work would stop over the New Year holiday period before resuming by mid-January.

NZTA regional relationships director Andrew Corkill said the project would transform the entrance to Tairua.

'NZTA doesn't often get to be a part of a project that will ultimately transform, at the entrance to a town itself working so closely, you know, within such a critical asset that is crossed every day that separates two sides with no detour.'

Tairua volunteer firefighter Ernest Welthagen said the wider bridge would improve emergency response times.

'Sometimes, we might have to wait 10-15 minutes or to move whatever's on the bridge.'

He said it could be the difference between life and death.

'We do medical callouts as well, so if we're held up for 5 minutes or 10 minutes on a medical call, it's a massive, massive problem.'