Local bridge closures planned this week are part of the work to upgrade Upper Clutha’s wastewater network. 

The Camphill Bridge will be closed tomorrow (Friday November 14) and the Albert Town Bridge will be closed on Sunday evening (November 16) through until early Monday.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) said closing the bridges will allow crews to carry out investigative works to prepare for installing a new wastewater pipeline on each bridge next year. 

The pipeline is part of an upgrade to Hāwea, Wānaka, and Albert Town’s wastewater infrastructure which will boost capacity in many parts of the Upper Clutha.

Read more: Bigger than Ben Hur: Multi-million dollar wastewater upgrades on the books

The upgrades will respond to and futureproof Upper Clutha’s wastewater needs, provide additional capacity across the network, and help to further protect the natural environment, QLDC property and infrastructure general manager Tony Avery said.

Existing infrastructure in Wānaka and Albert Town is fast approaching its capacity to effectively convey wastewater out to Project Pure Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), and Hāwea’s township treatment plant has already reached capacity.

The Albert Town Bridge will be closed on Sunday (November 16) from 9pm to 6am.

In September, QLDC announced restrictions on new connections to the Hāwea wastewater plant, after the facility failed to achieve its 12-month rolling mean for nitrogen levels in its treated wastewater.

Read more: Council limits new connections to Hāwea wastewater

The Upper Clutha Wastewater Conveyance Scheme project includes a new wastewater pump station (WWPS) at Domain Road in Hāwea, 12.5km of new wastewater pipeline connecting Domain Road to existing infrastructure at the Albert Town WWPS, upgrades to the existing Riverbank Road WWPS, 7.4km of new wastewater pipeline connecting Riverbank Road WWPS and Albert Town WWPS to Project Pure.

As a result, the Camphill Bridge will be closed to traffic on Friday 14 November from 9.00am to 2.30pm.

A detour will be in place using Kane Road, Cemetery Road, Domain Road, Capell Avenue, and SH6. Alternatively, road users can use SH6, SH8A, Luggate Red Bridge, and Kane Road.

The Albert Town Bridge will be closed to traffic on Sunday 16 November from 9.00pm to 6.00am. A detour will be in place using SH6, SH8A, Luggate Red Bridge, Kane Road, and Camp Hill Road.

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