Work to repaint the Victoria Street Bridge in Cambridge is underway.
It comes after the site was blessed by kaumatua Harry Wilson of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura in an early morning ceremony last week.
Waipā District Council service delivery group manager Dawn Inglis said the blessing was a milestone for the project.
“As with any large infrastructure project, it is important that we acknowledge the history of the area and those who have come before us.”
Council contractors are now setting up the construction site and delivering materials. Work to begin scaffolding will start once this has been completed.
Inglis said traffic would not be affected by the first stage of repainting works.
“From this week onwards, residents will see crews in high-vis working around the base of the bridge as they set up a site office and fencing around the area where they’ll be working. This will not affect traffic across the bridge.”
The bridge will be scaffolded and repainted in sections starting at the Cambridge town side. At the same time, maintenance work will also be carried out.
Council is still working with its contractor, InterGroup, to understand whether traffic movement may be affected during the later stages of the project in 2023.
“Our aim is to minimise disruption as much as possible and that is what we are working towards. We’ll continue to keep residents updated as we progress.”
More information about the project is available at www.waipadc.govt.nz/victoriastreetbridge. Residents can also sign-up to a project e-newsletter for regular updates.
