Contact Energy's recent announcement it is shelving plans for further development on the Clutha River will not affect the future of two Clutha bridges.
The 124-year-old bridge at Beaumont and the Clydevale Bridge, both one-lane bridges which span the Clutha River, are scheduled for replacement or upgrading.
Earlier this week, Contact Energy announced it had withdrawn plans for further hydro development on the Clutha River and it would review management and ownership of its land holdings near the river.
A search of property records by Clutha District Council staff showed Contact Energy held 37 properties in the Clutha district totalling 2989ha and with a capital value of $26.3 million (figures from 2008). It is unclear how much of this property was earmarked for use in potential dam projects at Beaumont and Tuapeka Mouth.
New Zealand Transport Agency acting Otago-Southland state highways manager Ian Duncan said Contact Energy's recent announcement it was shelving plans for the Clutha River would not make the replacement bridge at Beaumont a higher priority.
Mr Duncan said the agency was still looking at building a new bridge at Beaumont in the 2017-18 financial year. Investigation work was scheduled to begin by 2014.
The Beaumont Bridge is funded solely by the NZTA.
Clutha District Council district assets manager Jules Witt said the Clydevale Bridge already had "reasonably high priority" with the Otago Regional Transport Committee and he did not believe the bridge would have been affected even if Contact Energy's developments had gone ahead.
Last year the Clutha District Council decided to upgrade the Clydevale Bridge to class 1 load capacity. Strengthening the bridge to class 1 would cost about $974,000. The council's share was estimated to be $390,000. NZTA would foot the remainder of the bill. The decision whether to build a new bridge would be reconsidered in 20 years.
Mr Witt said the council had budgeted for the strengthening and repairs in the 2012-13 financial year.
