Ashburton mayor Neil Brown says if the damaged section of the Ashburton River/Hakatere bridge collapses, repairing it will take weeks. A building expert says damage to the Ashburton bridge is “substantial and concerning” and the structure would only tolerate minimal traffic levels while repairs are completed. The State Highway 1 bridge across the Ashburton River was closed early Tuesday morning after a motorist reported slumping while travelling across the bridge. STACY SQUIRES/Stuff Ashburton Bridge closed due to slumping about 100 meters from the north end on the right-hand side. At the peak of flooding Ashburton river was flowing more than 140 times its average volume of 10m3.

Source: Stuff June 01, 2021 03:00 UTC