Kurow and Hakataramea residents are hoping tests today will clear the twin bridges across the Waitaki River on State Highway 82 for, at least, light traffic by the weekend.
However, New Zealand Transport Agency area manager Colin Hey yesterday said how soon the bridges, closed since February 8 because of flood damage, could reopen would depend on the results of the load testing and engineering assessment today.
That work is expected to start about 9am and continue for most of the day, including inspecting the bridges using a jet-boat.
Meanwhile, community representatives who met Minister of Transport Stephen Joyce on Tuesday are confident they have made their point about repeated closures of the two 129-year-old, one-lane wooden bridges and the need to build new two-lane concrete replacements, estimated to cost $15 million but not due for completion until 2014.
The project still needs resource consents from Environment Canterbury, the Waitaki and Waimate district councils, and funding allocated by the agency.
A spokeswoman for Mr Joyce yesterday said the minister did not have any influence in terms of allocating funding to the project.
Funding decisions were made by the agency's board, which operated independently of the minister.
Mr Joyce assured community representatives at Tuesday's meeting - Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean, Waimate deputy mayor Peter McIlraith, Waimate District Council chief executive Tony Alden and Waitaki's chief executive Michael Ross - he was well aware of the situation and the effect it was having on residents and road users.
Mr Joyce told them he was determined to see the bridges both repaired, to allow normal traffic flows, and to push for their replacement.
Mr McIlraith was pleased with the meeting, having made a promise to the community to return the district to normality as soon as possible.
"Our replacement bridges will also be fast-tracked as soon as possible," he said.
Mrs Dean said while she was satisfied the new bridges' design and land-acquisition processes were well in hand, she remained determined to work towards ensuring funding would be made available so work could start on the new bridges.
"Right now, however, what is important is the bridge gets repaired to allow normal traffic flow while the new replacement bridge progresses," she said.
Mr Hey said the results of assessing and testing the bridges would be analysed and he hoped to be in a position tomorrow to know what repairs were needed, whether they could be reopened or how long they would remain closed.
As far as new bridges were concerned, the agency was close to filing resource consent applications and, once they were approved, would apply for funding.
At least one pier at the northern end of the northern bridge was unstable, but a hydrological survey had confirmed scouring was starting to fill in again.
Other piers needed to be examined today for any damage.
Yesterday, the Waitaki River at the bridges was still flowing at 770cumecs, compared with a normal average flow of 350cumecs.
At its peak, the river reached 1552cumecs on February 8.
