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The bridge has reopened to light traffic after hours of stress tests, but further work will happen on Wednesday evening to confirm its strength to heavy vehicles.
Sam Sherwood14:24, Jun 02 2021
Sam Sherwood/Stuff
The first of five trucks are crossing the Ashburton Bridge to stress test the damage caused by flooding.
The flood-damaged Ashburton Bridge is set to reopen after hours of tests were held to ascertain whether it is strong enough to take heavy vehicles. The bridge initially reopened to light traffic at 11.30pm on Tuesday, almost 18 hours after it had to be shut when part of it slumped 15cm when the foundations of a supporting pier scoured away. The closure effectively split the South Island’s east coast in two and hindered supply routes. The bridge was again shut at 11am on Wednesday to allow for fully-laden trucks to be drive across to test its structural integrity and strength.