Closure to force detour

An aerial photo of the MacLennan road bridge, which will be closed for up to  10 weeks so it can...
An aerial photo of the MacLennan road bridge, which will be closed for up to 10 weeks so it can be strengthened. Photo: Samuel White.
Repair work being done on the MacLennan road bridge in the Catlins will necessitate a 30-minute detour for road users.

The bridge, which connects the Papatowai Highway over the MacLennan River, was closed on Tuesday for bridge-strengthening, deck replacement and to install new guardrails. It is expected to be closed for about 10 weeks.

Road users will have to detour around the bridge through Centre Rd into Dewe Rd and return to the Papatowai Highway from Tahakopa Valley Rd.

The distance from the MacLennan Bridge to Papatowai is normally less than 2km, however with the added detour to Tahakopa, the journey will now be just over 17km on unsealed road.

Papatowai Store owner Lynn Bridson said some tourists had already stopped by after travelling the additional half-hour and were "exhausted".

"They ... had the most horrible experience with this half-hour detour," she said.

While any detour was inconvenient, not much could be done about it, she said.

"You just have to roll with it."

Those travelling through Papatowai to or from Owaka were faced with a similar situation when the Papatowai Bridge, which crosses the Tahakopa River, was closed in February last year.

"We do have experience with it and that’s just the way it is ... They have to do their work," Mrs Bridson said.

The closure of the Papatowai Bridge was also delayed to accommodate  the Papatowai Challenge.

A Clutha District Council spokesman said the MacLennan road bridge would be temporarily opened with a speed restriction on March 4 to help with traffic flows for this year’s challenge.

Mrs Bridson said the closure of the MacLennan road bridge might have some effect on traffic or tourist numbers but so far the poor summer weather had had a bigger impact than what she expected from the closure.

The council spokesman said the Otago Regional Council’s resource consent required the work  to be completed before April. The work was needed, otherwise  weight and speed limits  would have to be applied to the bridge.

He apologised for any inconvenience the closure might create for the travelling public.

The co-operation and patience of the public would help get the job done as quickly as possible.

Work was planned for the Tahakopa Bridge in the future but it  would be closed for a shorter time.

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