The South Westland Bailey bridge was washed away when torrential rain battered the West Coast on 26 March, cutting off access between Fox Glacier and Franz Josef.
It's about a 25-minute drive from Fox Glacier to Franz Josef when the bridge is intact.
But without the bridge, South Westland has been effectively cut in half, with detours adding hundreds of extra kilometres or forcing people to use helicopter taxis.
Motorists are forced to drive around the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and through Arthur's Pass - a roughly 12-hour journey.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said teams are working to reopen the bridge in time for the school holidays in a week's time.
However, West Coast accountant Andrew Elphick said that was not enough to assure some Franz Josef businesses, who laid off staff early.
"A lot of people have already made their decisions, tourism operators can't go on a hope that something will be open. Going into the winter that loss and turnover is going to take a major effect on cash flow.
"Cash flow is king during the winter, that means by about October their monetary resources could be exhausted or they might be looking at liquidation."
The 170-metre new bailey Bridge was initially expected to be in place within seven to 10 days, but problems with site access and materials had slowed progress.
In a statement this afternoon, NZTA said the bridge should be ready to open on Friday, April 12, but the exact time could not be confirmed until later in the week.
“The Army engineers and the Downer team have made good progress dismantling the old bridge sections this weekend and last week,” the agency's systems manager, Pete Connors, said.
“At this stage we believe the main launch of the new structure will occur on Tuesday, ahead of some forecast wet weather."
However, Mr Connors said the bridge would not be open to traffic for at least a couple of days after it gets to the north side of the river.
"The bridge needs to be jacked, rocking rollers removed, new permanent bearings installed, and the whole structure safely fastened in place. The approaches also need to be completed once the bridge is positioned.”
After the bridge was open to traffic, Mr Connors said there would be more work to do.
This included sealing the approaches, reinstating guardrail, the pedestrian walkway and other work which would involve closures of up to an hour.
Mr Connors reminded people that the South Westland townships of Fox, Franz Josef, and Haast, are open for business and welcome visitors from each side of the Waiho in the lead-up to the reconnection at the Waiho River.
- RNZ and ODT Online
