Locals say tourist campervans will continue to collide with a low-clearance rail bridge in Canterbury — despite signage and a growing reputation for the strikes.
By Charlotte Mulder, Breakfast Reporter
With a clearance height of just 2.39 metres, the Ashburton Viaduct is too low for many vehicles to pass safely underneath.
Despite warning signs, it remains the most-struck rail bridge in the country. There are now some selling T-shirts joking about the town's "ongoing saga".
Tinwald resident Craig Liquorish said it was obvious the viaduct wasn’t built for campervans.
“Some of the tourists are going under there and just taking the roof straight off. People with caravans decide they want to get ahead just that little bit more,” he said.
New signage was being installed this week, specifically warning campervan drivers.
However, residents remain sceptical.
“You can put as much signage up as possible, but people are just going to do what they want in the end,” Liquorish said.
Residents told 1News that when a vehicle gets stuck, it causes backups and long queues.
Some suggest a physical gantry - a hanging bar set to the bridge height - could finally prevent incidents.
“So we have a pole on one side of the road, a pole on the other, and a hanging bar between the two at the viaduct height. If you hit that, then suddenly you know, ‘Whoa, I’m not going to fit,’” Hooper said.
The cost of such a solution would be $50,000 to $100,000, which the council would need to cover. But for now, the viaduct remains a familiar routine for locals.
“It’s just becoming a bit of a laughing stock more than anything,” Liquorish said.
'Ongoing saga'
Ashburton District councillor Phil Hooper said the bridge has become one of the most talked-about spots in mid-Canterbury on social media.
“It is just an ongoing saga,” he said.
The bridge is a long-running joke among locals, with complaints frequently shared online.
T-shirts have even been printed with the phrase: ‘Too Tall, Too Late – Tinwald’.
“It’s not a new problem,” Hooper added.
“With social media, it gets highlighted more these days, but I can remember cars, trucks, and caravans hitting it many, many years ago.”
Recent renovations have been made to protect the tracks, but strikes continue.
KiwiRail records about 13 bridge incidents per year over the past two years — just one since repairs — though locals say the real number is likely much higher.
Traffic congestion on State Highway 1 also contributes, with Google Maps sometimes redirecting drivers straight toward the viaduct. Ashburton Mayor Liz McMillan said the council had contacted Google, but nothing has changed.
“We just want people to stay on the main route,” she said.
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