Middlemarch locals take their first steps across the new road bridge near Sutton after it was officially opened on Saturday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSHAlmost two years to the day after the historic bridge near Sutton was destroyed by a raging river, its replacement has been officially opened. The 19th-century single-lane cable suspension bridge it replaced stood there from 1875 until it was destroyed during the July 2017 floods. Six generations of her family had lived near and used the bridge. Strath Taieri Community Board chairman Barry Williams said the community - particularly those who used the old bridge every day - had been waiting a long time for the replacement bridge, so it was great to have it officially opened.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 21, 2019 16:30 UTC