Karāpiro Stream Bridge gets safety improvements

Note: Due to congestion on Achilles Avenue and connecting streets during the work on Monday, we need to revert to our backup plan, which involves night works. Our contractor will continue with the upgrades from Tuesday 18 June between 7pm- 5am, for about a week.

A new guardrail will be installed along the Karāpiro Stream Bridge on Achilles Avenue in Cambridge, to improve safety and reduce the likelihood of serious crashes.

Work starts on Monday and is expected to take about a week to complete. Stop/go traffic management will be in place between 7am and 5pm to help guide commuters through the area. No work will be undertaken on the weekend.

Transport manager Bryan Hudson said that the current barrier has been identified as a safety risk due to damage.

“These barriers are designed to make the roads and roadsides more forgiving, reducing the impact if a person makes a mistake and crashes.”

Pedestrian access across the bridge will not be affected, as it is only the rail on the opposite side of the bridge to the path being replaced at this time.

During construction, some delays can be expected for those travelling on Achilles Avenue.

“While the team will not be working on the road in the busy morning and afternoon commute periods, there is another plan if too much traffic congestion is created, which will be to work at night,” Hudson said.

Some minor maintenance work to clear drainage holes on the bridge is also scheduled during the works.

This project is funded through the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s ‘Road to Zero’ programme.