1899 Kakanui Bridge deconstruction awarded to local firm

Published on 10 April 2026

The 126-year-old Kakanui Bridge may be coming down, but at least some of it will live on in the community.

Local firm Specialised Services Group (SSG) was awarded the contract for the bridge deconstruction and removal, which will take place later this year. There will be signage at the east bank of the Kakanui River, highlighting the history of the bridge, as well as the donation of wood offcuts to local groups.

The Kakanui Bridge replacement, which opened to traffic in late March and was ceremonially opened this week by Mayor Mel Tavendale and Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk is a modern, 100-year, concrete bridge.

The new Kākaunui Bridge has a 1.5m walking and cycling path, increased weight tolerance and height, and fewer piers in the Kakanui River to avoid closures due to slash buildup or flooding.

The replacement bridge project was completed three months ahead of schedule, and under budget by around $1,000,000. The budget for the Kākaunui Bridge was $11.06 million, and final cost including estimated invoices, is $10.06 million. This saving is split 57%/43% between NZTA and Waitaki District Council.

The bridge deconstruction and removal, estimated at around $750,000 in 2024, was awarded to Specialised Services Group for $256,764.75 ex GST, a significant saving for the ratepayer. This is based on SSG removing the bridge, and on-selling the main timbers themselves.

The Weston-based business has committed to community focused uses of parts of the bridge, during the deconstruction and removal:

• Memorial signage using recovered timber

• Donation of recovered ducts and services to local groups

• Sale of main structural timber to Renovo Timbers to reduce cost to Council overall

• Gifting offcuts to community groups

More information will be available on this as work gets under way later this year.

ENDS

media@waitaki.govt.nz