They Were Quick at The Cut

For half a century or more, southbound traffic from Gisborne has used the same route west of the old Matawhero bridge. But on May 18th, within a few minutes of the new bridge being opened, bulldozers, poised at the ready, began to tear up the road across the "cut". Within an hour the bitumin was gone.

In due course the deep waters of the Waipaoa will swirl over this scene.

Engineers plan to give the river only a pilot channel in the new course. When a flood comes the river is expected to take to the new channel, and continue in increasing volume as the old riverway silts up.

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Spectators from bridge opening line bank to watch big carry-all scooping up road.

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River will flow here.

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Top end of cut, viewed from the new bridge