Debate over whether vehicles just under three tonnes should cross the Victoria (High Level) Bridge have reignited after railing was hit last month, taking out the pedestrian lane on the Leamington side.*
Damage to the Victoria (High Level) Bridge on the Leamington side. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
In November at the other end of the bridge a car went through the side barrier and landed on reserve land after it and a van collided.
Temporary measures were in place for pedestrians using the bridge. Contractors cleared the latest broken railing and erected a secure pedestrian barrier yesterday (Tuesday) so the footpath could be reopened.
On the Cambridge side, Waipa council is still in the process of sourcing new steel railings to replace the damaged ones.
Bryan Hudson
The News understands an SUV (sports utility vehicle) weighing 2.35 tonnes and just under 1.96m wide and a car collided on Christmas Eve. It is understood the driver of the SUV took evasive action by crashing into the bridge railing. Nobody was injured.
The weight limit for the historically protected bridge is three tonnes and the speed limit is 30kph. The maximum width of vehicles using the bridge is limited to 2.1 m.
*This story differs from the print version. It contains comment from Waipa District Council Transportation manager Bryan Hudson.
See: Bridge damaged, news in brief – November 2024
A construction worker and bystander peer over the side of the damaged bridge at the Cambridge end last year. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Damage to the Victoria (High Level) Bridge on the Leamington side. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Scene from the crash site last year. Photo: Supplied.
The van on the edge of the bridge last year. Photo: Supplied.
The damaged bridge, looking down. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The scene in Dominion Rd underneath the bridge where the car landed. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
