Councils across the country are reeling at the huge costs they say they are incurring after NZ Transport Agency increased the load limit for trucks.
A change to regulations late last year means trucks can carry larger and heavier loads, up to 46 tonnes.
But the heavier loads make many bridges unusable and requiring trucks to split up their loads and carried across separately.
In Hastings dozens of bridges need work and trucking companies have also had to be creative.
"Were looking at 12 to 13 million dollars. This is an investment over the next seven years NZTA will subsidise us so that will reduce by approximately half the cost that the rate payers have to fund," Hastings Deputy Mayor Tania Kerr says.
Although the new standards came into place in 2016, councils say many bridges haven't been improved because they weren't given enough time.
"Just to get out and improve them and then actually get out and do the physical work quite simply we haven't had enough time," Mayor Kerr says.
Some truck companies say they have also had to fork out over $1 million to adapt.
"For us this has added $1.5 million dollars to our operation in terms of cost straight to the bottom line its something we are prepared to do but it certainly has affected our operation…so the sooner the better"James Treadwell of IFS Growth said
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