Otautau resident Jack Haywood wrestled with how to get across to the shops since learning the bridge, which crosses the Otautau Stream, had been closed.
"I didn’t find out till 8am when I saw the trucks and digger come past.
"I’ve been living here for 21 years, and the bridge has been closed several times over the years. I’m trying to get across to the shops. I’ll now have to use the walking bridge to get across Main Street, but I’ll have to do a lot of walking."
Otautau resident Fiona Leaf and her grandson, Fletcher Walsh, 7, momentarily considered crossing the bridge after seeing a local woman climb over the plastic barrier, but decided against it after overhearing a SouthRoads staff member saying it was "not safe to do so".
Environment Southland said in a statement closing the bridge was a precautionary decision to ensure the community’s safety. The decision was made on the best available predictions of the impacts the expected rainfall would have on the water level, which looked to be similar to the levels reached in September last year.
