Three bridges on popular trails near Wānaka are being renovated and will hopefully be open for summer.

The bridges to Rob Roy Glacier, the Blue Pools and Makarora River are currently closed. At the height of summer, the Blue Pools Track normally copes with an average of 550 people a day, and the Rob Roy bridge – the only way to access the Rob Roy Glacier Track – carries around 180 people.

Unfortunately, walkers have been ignoring the bridges’ load-limit signs, and this has prompted DOC to make doubly sure the bridges are safe with increased visitor numbers. The Makarora bridge was at the end of its life.

According to DOC Central Otago operations manager Nicola Holmes, the work is a significant undertaking. All three bridges have been subject to extensive engineering, geotechnical and design assessments. 

“Having done the preparation, we’re now in a great position to press forward,” she says.