Kurow and Hakataramea residents will be involved in a special opening in March or April of the first of two new bridges which link them across the Waitaki River.
The new two-lane, twin bridges on the north and south branches are costing about $20.1 million, replacing the 132-year-old, single-lane wooden twin bridges which have reached the end of their life.
It was a New Zealand Transport Agency project and good progress had been made on the bridges since work started earlier last year, NZTA highway manager Colin Knaggs said.
Contractors were focused on completing the piling for the larger of the two bridges, on the Hakataramea side. Work was nearing completion driving the fifth of seven piles for the north bridge.
Work was scheduled to get under way this week placing the pre-cast concrete decking panels on the smaller southern bridge on the Kurow side.
''At this stage, this bridge is scheduled to open in early autumn. Flooding during the last month has had an impact on our schedule. We will have more certainty later next month around the opening of this bridge to traffic,'' he said.
It was planned to hold a celebration at the time the first bridge opened and once the southern bridge was finished, work would start on demolishing the old wooden bridge.
The second of the replacement bridges was scheduled to open before September.
The second timber bridge would then be taken apart, two sections of which will be retained and permanently displayed on Kurow Island.
The remainder of the material would be given to the Waitaki and Waimate District Councils and the Department of Conservation for disposal for historic and community projects.
