RUSTY hand rails that look as though they will collapse if someone falls against them have become a concern for a couple of Whakatāne cyclists who regularly ride across the Landing Road Bridge.

Bolts not tightened correctly, large holes in the footpath and sections of safety fencing missing for several weeks add to the lack of maintenance that has become of increasing concern for Ann and Allan Whyte.

New Zealand Transport Agency - Waka Kotahi has acknowledged the deteriorating condition of the bridge in Whakatāne and Says it has maintenance scheduled before the end of the year.

However, Mr Whyte said the current state of the bridge represented more than a year of deterioration and questioned how often or how thoroughly bridges were inspected.

Of particular concern is an area of handrail on the upstream side of the bridge, about 40 to 50 metres from the town side, where the handrail has rusted through.

“If I gave that a good kick, it would come right off,” Mr Whyte said.

“I always worry that I’m going to bump into it on my bike. If nothing else the jagged, rusty metal could cause a nasty cut.

“Any industry with health and safety standards this low would be shut down.”

The area that swimmers stand on to jump off the bridge in summer looks to be in relatively good repair, showing signs that it has been replaced in recent years.

Mr Whyte also points out bolts holding the handrail structure to the bridge are not fully threaded in, holes in the pavement large enough for a child to step in up to their ankle, and a section of safety rail between the footpath and road that has come off and taken several weeks to be replaced.

Mrs Whyte said she felt quite unsafe whenever she passed the missing rail.

“When it was finally replaced, they didn’t take away the damaged rail and it is lying on the side of the bank,” Mr Whyte said.

He said he was aware that Whakatāne residents had used the bridge for many years before safety rails were installed.

“Anyone who has worked in industry will tell you that once a safety hazard has been identified and mitigation measures had been implemented, it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure they are maintained.

“This is quite an outrageous thing for it to be left in this state.”

The couple said there were a lot of people and organisations, including Whakatāne District Council, pushing to have a second bridge built in Whakatāne but no one seemed to care about the state of the one that was already here.

“If this is the only bridge we can have, we need to take care of it,” Mrs Whyte said.

“They must drive over it all the time. They should be getting in touch with NZTA to let them know it needs fixing.”

NZTA said repair work for the bridge handrails was scheduled before the end of 2025 and was expected to take three to four weeks, or more.

During the repair work, the bridge walkways will be closed to the public, one side at a time. The exact dates will be communicated with the community once they are confirmed.

In the meantime, NZTA said maintenance crews would fix the footpath and remove the broken barrier beneath the bridge.