The Tuapeka Mouth ferry will not be operating on Sundays for the next few months while the nearby Clydevale bridge is upgraded.
The ferry has been carrying up to 100 vehicles a day during the Clydevale bridge closure, more than 10 times its usual traffic volume.
About 10km upstream from the Clydevale bridge, the free ferry is the closest alternative route across the Clutha River and is running on extended hours from 8am to noon, and 12.30pm to dusk, Mondays to Saturdays, for suitable vehicles. It also runs on Sundays from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm.
Clutha District Council communications co-ordinator Jamie Shaw said the ferry would not operate on Sundays during the upgrade.
Until September 30, the Clydevale bridge will be closed between 7am to 6pm Mondays to Fridays, and from 7am to 5pm on Saturdays. Crossing the bridge is permitted from noon to 12.30pm every day, and from 8.45am to 9.15am, and from 2.45pm to 3.30pm during school terms.
Mr Shaw said because the bridge was open on Sundays, the ferry would no longer operate on that day. The ferry, also called the Tuapeka Mouth punt, is funded by the Clutha District Council. It is the only one of its kind in New Zealand, and is believed to be the last water-driven public punt in the southern hemisphere.
It operates across the river just downstream from where the Tuapeka River meets the Clutha, 37km northwest of Balclutha.
However, the punt's operation, 37km northwest of Balclutha, is subject to river conditions.
The Clydevale bridge spans the Clutha River about 22km northwest of Balclutha. It is a key transport route, as some oversized loads cannot be taken over the Balclutha bridge.
The beam and deck upgrade is part of a two-stage strengthening project to restore the bridge to full heavy vehicle capacity.
The New Zealand Transport Agency last year approved its 69% share of funding for the strengthening project, estimated to cost $974,000.
Unused funding from the upgrade will be carried over to the 2013-14 year and allocated to the pile repairs contract.
