Strengthening the Clydevale bridge may not happen for another three years, a prospect that has disappointed both the Clutha District Council and bridge users.
The National Land Transport Programme 2012-15 released this week by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) lists the bridge's strengthening as a "reserve project", meaning its priority is not high enough to receive funding assistance at present and it is unlikely to proceed within the next three years.
The Clutha District Council has pledged to work with the NZTA to update and review the information on the bridge to try to advance the project, in particular its significance in terms of inter-region freight and network security.
If the project was approved, the NZTA would provide the council with a 69% share.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said the news would frustrate the owners of heavy vehicles who regularly used the bridge.
"We are ready to go and it's disappointing that it has not been included in the programme for the next three years."
Alex McLellan, a member of the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association's board and a local transport operator, said the move was "most disappointing".
"The Clydevale bridge is extremely important for heavy haulage. With the restrictions of the Clutha River bridges at Balclutha and Beaumont, the Clydevale bridge is the only option for some haulage."
The Bridge spans the Clutha River about 22km upstream from Balclutha. It is the only major bridge over the Clutha River in the district capable of handling wide loads.
Mr Cadogan said the Otago Regional Land Transport Committee had already deemed the Clydevale, Beaumont and Kawarau Falls bridge projects as "inter-regionally significant" because of the need to maintain key freight and tourism routes with other regions.
He said the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee had even identified the Clydevale and Beaumont bridges as regionally significant to Canterbury.
New Zealand Transport Agency Otago regional director Jim Harland said funding could be approved if additional evidence was provided, if money was available and if the project ranked well compared to other reserve projects. He said the Clutha District Council had been encouraged to make an investment application to the NZTA with a strong argument why the funding profile should be reconsidered.
In the meantime, the council will focus on keeping the bridge open.
New weight restrictions (50% of class one; 23 tonnes maximum) were placed on the bridge in November 2009 after a detailed investigation found it was not initially designed and constructed for class one (44 tonne) loads.
Council district assets manager Jules Witt said an engineer's assessment would be carried out to review how the bridge was handling loads up to 44 tonnes which were being allowed to cross under a permit system.
If the assessment revealed damage or degradation to the bridge structure, the permit system could be reviewed, he said.
