Completed in 1902, the bridge at Seddon over the Awatere River carried both road *and* rail traffic. This changed in October 2007 when the new road bridge was opened. The bridge was designed by Peter Seton Hay and built at a cost of £22,500. It took three years to complete and had the unique feature of an upper rail deck with a lower road deck, with the wooden decking bolted to the structure. Both the rail and the road were a single lane which meant that vehicles traveling in the opposite direction had to wait. The train trestle is still active but a new road bridge was opened in 2007 that too two years to complete. The old road deck has been converted into a pedestrian / bicycle deck and it is open for crossing. There was no train roaring overhead when I stopped by. It's an unusual construction and worth a stop if you're heading between Christchurch and Blenheim. [Review 417 of 2024 - 70 in New Zealand - 21450 overall] read more

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