A massive landslide sliced through State Highway 25A sweeping away part of the route from Kopu to Hikuai. Photo: RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
A bridge will be built to re-open State Highway 25A on the Coromandel Peninsula, the government has announced.
A massive slip destroyed a section of the road after storms in late January, including Cyclone Gabrielle.
"The government has taken advice that a bridge will be the fastest, most resilient way forward and will commit the funding straight away", Transport Minister Michael Wood said.
"Waka Kotahi has already engaged with the construction industry and started the procurement process."
Transport Minister Michael Wood made the announcement in Thames on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The minister said a contractor would be ready to start construction by early June , with completion estimated early next year.
"In the meantime, we'll be working with local government and communities to develop a package of economic support to help businesses that usually rely on the direct route onto the peninsula to bring people onto the peninsula during the summer.
"We are acutely aware of the impact this road being closed has on businesses and will support them through this tough period."
Work was continuing to repair local roads, with the Tapu-Coroglen road to re-open to light vehicles next month to provide extra connection across the peninsula, and to repair and fully reopen other key roads such as SH25.
The cost of the rebuild was estimated at $30-$40m, funded through the government's $250 million top-up to the National Land Transport Programme fund to support the recovery.
Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt said his community was anxious the fastest option be chosen to get State Highway 25A between Kopu and Hikuai reopened because the region was suffering.
The government's plan to build a bridge over a massive slip created by storms in January would be welcomed, he said.
National's transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said the people of Coromandel needed a definitive date for when the new bridge on State Highway 25A would be completed.
It was great news that a decision had finally been made, he said.
The government saying work would be completed by early next year did not give the confidence the community needed to get back on its feet, he said.
But Wood said it was not possible to give an exact completion date as there were a number of factors that could slow the work.