For now, the West Coast Wilderness Trail will start and end further north, at Ruatapu.
If building a replacement bridge proves too expensive, Ross could be removed permanently from the cycle trail, the council said today.
At a recent meeting in Ross, residents were told the bridge could possibly remain open until late summer. But a specialist report this week ruled out that option.
Westland District Council acting group manager district assets Erle Bencich said in a statement today safety was being compromised.
"Unfortunately, there is no way around the bridge to create a diversion in the wilderness trail that would provide safe access to or from the Ross township. We understand this will inconvenience trail users, tourism operators and the local farmer who uses the bridge."
After the most recent advice the council received on the state of the bridge’s structure, the council felt it had no choice but to order an immediate closure.
It was talking to stakeholders to give them a little time to make other arrangements, but a longer period of notice was not possible.
With the bridge closed, the nearest point where trail users can start/finish their journey will be almost 10km away, at Ruatapu.
Mr Bencich said the council was already investigating possible designs and costs to replace the old bridge, or to change the start/end of the trail if that was economically non-viable. A report will go to the August council meeting for councillors to discuss the options.
Westland Mayor Helen Lash said the council was "acutely aware" of the effects this closure would have.
"But we are not prepared to put lives at risk, which is exactly what this situation is about", she said.
A report in May 2023 said the bridge had deteriorated to the point that its capacity to support pedestrians was becoming compromised.
Initial estimates suggested that $2 million would be needed to restore it to a fit-for-purpose state, with a further $3m to $5m required over the short-medium term.
Mr Bencich said the council was advised in June the "risk of sudden failure is too high to allow the bridge to continue to be used".
"This was confirmed again this week following a request for a possible extension.
"Our specialist engineering advisers also report that there are no practical measures to restore the bridge to a serviceable condition for the coming tourist season without significant investment which, given the very poor state of the bridge, is simply not an economic option for ratepayers."
— Greymouth Star
