Waka Kotahi engineers have assessed the State Highway 50/Waipawa River Bridge as structurally sound.
The abutment of the bridge was washed away by heavy rain at the weekend, forcing the closure of the section of SH50 between OngaOnga and Tikokino.
Engineers visited the site on Monday, and Waka Kotahi say they will begin preparing the site for repairs in the next few days.
A timeframe of when the repairs would begin, or how long they would take, is still unknown.
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Law changes are expected to make the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle easier.
Environment Minister David Parker said communities hit by severe weather events would be allowed to establish temporary accommodation and additional waste disposal under two proposed interim law changes.
He said the proposed changes would reclassify temporary accommodation as a permitted activity that doesn’t require a resource consent from councils if it breaches some district plan rules, such as a limit on the number of houses per property.
The law would be in place for three years and covers areas such as Tararua District and Hawke’s Bay region.
The law on waste disposal would support the establishment of new landfills and temporary waste storage and sorting facilities and apply in the likes of Hawke’s Bay.
The law changes would come via two Orders in Council, with a public engagement period running from today until next Tuesday.
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Round 3 games of the Hawke’s Bay Super 8 Netball games will be played tonight.
Otane Thirsty Whale will face Huias at 6.15pm, with Central Sports Vet Services HB taking on All In : Mavericks at 7.45pm at the Pettigrew Green Arena.
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Horizons Regional Council has decided to stick with its current voting system for the 2025 Local Body Elections.
A proposal to change to the Single Transferable Vote, or STV, system was voted down at this weeks Council meeting.
