Seqwater Chief Operating Officer Stuart Cassie said the bridge was inundated by water during the event and visual inspections had identified significant damage to the deck surface and guardrails.

“Safety is our top priority and we have closed the bridge whilst engineering assessments are undertaken,” Mr Cassie said.

“We are arranging for a qualified third-party engineer to attend site and assess the damage and once this is completed, we will update the community.

“We acknowledge the closure will inconvenience local residents and we thank them for their understanding whilst we undertake assessments and ensure their safety.”  

Mr Cassie said Seqwater would provide a further update once the assessments on the bridge were completed.