Work under way: The eastern end of Molesworth Street bridge has been removed ahead of further work.
MORE than 12 months after the floods split the town in half, residents could soon be able to cross the Molesworth Street Bridge again.
The council and local contractors have begun repair work on the bridge and finished the earthworks earlier this week.
As part of the rebuilding process, council staff removed the eastern span.
The eastern abutment also had to be removed with the piles cut off at water level.
A contractor will construct a new concrete abutment while council staff backfill the abutment and replace the span on the eastern side.
Bridge constructor Denis Loader said he was confident the work would be completed by May.
“Definitely, we’ll be finished by May, no worries,” Mr Loader said.
The work has been funded by a grant from Roads and Maritime Service.
As part of the grant conditions, council was not able to build a completely new bridge but had to restore it to its former condition.
The workmen will also repair the footpath along the southern side of the bridge that was damaged by termite activity.