The Ashburton District Council is pleased to announce that two new bridges crossing the Rangitata Division Race (RDR) on Canterbury's Inland Scenic Route have almost finished construction and will be open to motorists in coming days.

Staveley Bridge (no. 234) south of Ashburton Staveley Road will be open to traffic tomorrow (Saturday 21 November), while Prices Road Bridge (no. 233) north of Mt Somers is expected to open on Friday 27 November, weather-permitting.

The third and final RDR bridge, Surrey Hills Bridge (no. 232) south of Mt Somers is still under construction and is on schedule to finish by mid-December.

Pictured: (Left to right) Council Chief Executive Hamish Riach, Mayor Neil Brown, Infrastructure Services Group Manager Neil McCann and Infrastructure Services Committee Chair Councillor Stuart Wilson inspecting the new bridges as final touches are being made.​

The $1.8 million construction project will be a significant improvement for heavy vehicle operators, Infrastructure Services Committee Chair, Stuart Wilson says, as trucks over 44 tonnes will finally be able to cross the RDR.

"Until now, heavy vehicles this size have been unable to cross the RDR at these locations. These new bridges have purposely been built with a greater weight-bearing capacity to fix this problem.

"We are incredibly pleased to be opening up the high country and to be making such big improvements to one of the district's most heavily-used roads. The bridges will be a great asset to residents and heavy vehicle drivers alike.

"I'd like to thank our contractor, Smith Crane & Construction for their great work delivering these upgrades, and also local businesses and residents for their patience while the work has been underway."

Pictured: Staveley Bridge (no. 234) will be open to traffic on Saturday 21 November.

Council began constructing the new bridges on 5 October, gradually closing each bridge in a staggered work programme designed to minimise the length of time the bridges would be out of action.

Detours have been in place throughout the closures and all local roads have remained open.

Learn more about the RDR bridge replacement project on the Council website at ashburtondc.govt.nz/RDRbridges.​​​