The construction of the second Ashburton bridge is on time, and on budget, according to project director Lonnie Dalzell.
He was speaking to media and council staff during a sneaky peak around the site of the construction site across the Ashburton River on Tuesday.
Dalzell, project director for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi started the conversation by tackling the obvious questions first.
“I would like to say the project is on time and on budget. We are on track and in a good space for completion at the end of 2027.”
Dalzell said there had been minimal noise complaints from nearby residents.
"Vibration from the pile driving is a small part, as the riverbed material absorbs the vibration.”
“The aim is to have the piles well across the river by the end of the year.”
Andy Holt, contract manager for Brian Perry Civil, said during such a project it was important to work with the river and not against it.
"Every river behaves differently, and we have to learn how this one behaves”.
"After the September flood the river came up quickly, but then took a long time to go down.”
Holt said they had diverted the river further into the middle and strengthened the berms on each riverbank to divert excess water way from the building site.
"All this work has been done using shingle from the riverbed,” he said.
The temporary river diversion will stay in place for around three months, long enough to complete work like piling that needs a dry riverbed.
Once finished, crews will carefully remove the berms, reopen existing flow paths and let the river settle back into its natural braids.
The project is set for completion in December 2027.