Contractors have been working on the new structure, costing up to $4.5million, since January and had recently poured new concrete piles, council transport group manager Richard Saunders said.
"The contractors are making good progress and we are still targeting completion by the middle of the year,'' he said.
The new vehicle bridge would span the Taieri River on Sutton-Mount Ross Rd, replacing the old 19th-century single-lane cable suspension bridge which had stood there since 1875.
The old bridge collapsed during a flood in July 2017, leaving farmers and other residents to negotiate lengthy detours.
The council settled on a plan to build a modern replacement bridge last year, and later unveiled three design options - incorporating the old bridge's remaining abutments and pillars in different ways - in August.
But, following pleas from the Strath Taieri Community Board, the council decided to focus on building the new bridge first, before deciding on what should be done with the old bridge's historic stone columns.
