Night closures of the Beaumont Bridge, spanning the Clutha River on State Highway 8, are to be extended to allow for strengthening work to be completed.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said today that the partial Monday to Friday closures of the one-lane bridge would continue until July 11.
From 7pm until 6am, the bridge would open at hourly intervals, on the hour, for motorists. Once they have crossed the bridge, it would close again.
For drivers heading towards Queenstown, a detour is signposted to travel to Beaumont via Balclutha and Clydevale to re-join the highway. The same detour will apply for travel from Alexandra and Queenstown.
Motorists are advised to add an extra 30 minutes to their travel plans to allow for the detour, or they can use State highway 85 to Dunedin via Palmerston.
Heavy vehicles travelling under permit may need to apply for alternative permits to use the detour route, or plan their travel around when the bridge will be open.
The NZTA apologised for any inconvenience to road users.
The strengthening work will enable the bridge to carry High Performance Motor Vehicles. These are trucks permitted to carry loads of up to 62 tonne, reducing the number of freight vehicles on the highways and improving safety.
This work, along with strengthening to other bridges, would allow HPMVs to operate between Dunedin and Queenstown, the LTSA said.
