Second Ashburton Bridge

Project update

30 May 2025

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to the first newsletter for the Second Ashburton Bridge (2AB) project.

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Ngā mihi/Kind regards
2AB project team

We’ll start working on the Ashburton side of the river off the end of Chalmers Avenue and until about 9 June will be working near the walking and bike tracks. Once we're finished on that side of the river, we'll move to the Carter Terrace side and finish the remaining boreholes.

Access along the tracks will be unaffected, although there could be slight deviations and delays while we move the drill rig between test locations. As our work progresses, the drilling will move further away from the tracks and the noise will be less audible.

Each borehole will take around 1 day and include setting up, drilling and backfilling.

From these geotechnical tests we’ll learn what the ground is like beneath the surface, for example how difficult it is to drill into the ground, water levels and other geographical information. This information will help us to design the foundations to support the new bridge and earth embankments.

We’ll be working on weekdays from 7am to 5pm (drilling 8am to 4pm with an hour either side for set up/pack up). Our work is subject to weather conditions.

The project has been prioritised for delivery as a Road of Regional Significance (RoRS)

More information

For more information on the Second Ashburton Bridge project, contact us at 2AB@nzta.govt.nz or

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/2AB