Central Hawke’s Bay mayor proposes standardised national bridge design
Thursday 8 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story NZ Transport Agency, Chris Bishop
Mayor Will Foley has called for a national programme to standardise bridge design and procurement across New Zealand. He suggests that using modular designs could reduce replacement costs by 30% and save councils millions of dollars. Foley has written to the Minister of Transport and NZTA regarding the proposal.
Key facts
4 facts
- Will Foley proposes a national modular bridge programme
- Modular designs could save 20-30% on replacement costs
- Pettit Valley Bridge replacement is estimated at $3.5 million
- Central Hawke’s Bay maintains 170 bridges and over 1200km of roads
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Central Hawke’s Bay mayor Will Foley is calling for a standardised national bridge programme to design, procure and deliver infrastructure across local roads and state highways. He suggests that using modular components instead of bespoke designs could save councils millions of dollars over the next 30 years. Foley believes this approach could reduce replacement costs by 20% to 30%.
Foley has sent a letter regarding this proposal to Transport Minister Chris Bishop, NZTA, and various political transport spokespeople. He noted that the Pettit Valley Bridge in Central Hawke’s Bay would cost approximately $3.5 million to replace, but modular designs could save about $1 million. The mayor stated that councils do not have an "endless supply of money" to address the ageing national bridge network.
NZTA is currently investigating ways to improve the replacement process for bridges nearing the end of their working life. A spokesperson for NZTA said the agency is looking at ways to reduce costs for consenting, designing and building bridges. While not all bridges are suitable for standardisation, NZTA is reviewing international examples and talking to suppliers to potentially extend these methods to local roading infrastructure.
The proposal follows community pushback in Central Hawke’s Bay over the costs to replace the cyclone-damaged Burnside Bridge in Takapau. Initial estimates to repair the one-lane bridge over the Mākaretū River were $16 million for two lanes or $9 million for one lane.
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald and 1News.