Leon Phease was killed last July when he slipped on an icy stretch of track near the Liverpool Hut, in the Matukituki Valley, and fell down a cliff.
The high-achieving law student was on a trip with three other University of Otago tramping club members when the accident happened.
The Phease family funded the Department of Conservation bridge built across the Red Rock Stream, a waterway in the west branch of the Matukituki Valley recognised as a hazardous crossing for trampers.
Barry Phease said the Mt Aspiring area was a climbing nursery for his son, who loved the national park's beauty and often went adventuring there.
Leon would be pleased to see the bridge built if it made access to the mountains safer for visitors, he said.
His son had been safety conscious when in the mountains and the accident that took his life was a shock to all who knew him, Mr Phease said.
The new 21m-long bridge has a two-person load capacity and was constructed recently.
The stream was recognised as being difficult to cross in bad weather, due to flooding, Doc Wanaka area manager Paul Hellebrekers said.
