NZTA Central Otago area engineer John Jarvis said it was not uncommon for contractors to remove trees for safety reasons as part of its ongoing highway, road, and bridge maintenance upgrades.
About 30 trees, deemed by NZTA's consultants to be "rotten" and "sickly" have been felled beside the Red Bridge, spanning the Clutha River near Luggate, Mr Jarvis said.
The NZTA recently completed a $280,000 upgrade, structural assessment, and repainting of the 96-year-old one-lane, steel bridge.
The trees were removed because they were considered to be "very dangerous" and rotten, Mr Jarvis said.
"They posed a safety risk to the structure of the bridge ... and we also needed to improve traffic sight lines," he said.
The trees were removed with the agreement of representatives of the Luggate Residents Association and the Queenstown Lakes District Council, he said.
Association chairman Geoff Taylor said there was no concern about the decision to fell the trees and that the community approved.
"We were a little bit surprised at the number taken away, but it has been done now," he said.
QLDC community services manager Paul Wilson could not be contacted yesterday for comment.
The NZTA had a policy of "minimising risk" when it came to identifying potential hazards to road users and its national highway network, Mr Jarvis said.
Alexandra residents complained last month when the NZTA removed trees it considered a risk beside the State Highway 8 bridge in the town.
"That is another steel bridge which we consider to be extremely vulnerable to damage, and trees were identified as a structural risk should they fall and collide [with the bridge]," Mr Jarvis said.
The NZTA is also working on upgrading the one-lane SH6 Kawarau Falls bridge at Frankton.
