Pictured: Reference image only. Thrie-beam guardrails are a stronger barrier than w-beam guardrails, capable of bending on impact to absorb some of the crash energy and reducing the impacts on vehicle occupants.​

A $250,000 upgrade is on the way for a Mid Canterbury bridge next month that will improve driver safety.​

On Monday 1 February, Ashburton District Council will begin installing new steel guardrails on the single lane Maronan Road bridge over the Hinds River, 15km south-west of Ashburton, which has been the site of two fatal vehicle accidents in the last six years.

The existing rails and concrete kerb will be removed and replaced with new 'thrie-beam' guardrail which in addition to performing better in collisions, will increase the width of space available on the bridge.

The upgrade is expected to take one month to complete and will involve stop/go traffic management.

The bridge will remain open to traffic throughout the work, however drivers should expect delays.

Council Infrastructure Services Group Manager, Neil McCann says the Council is acting on recommendations from its investigation into safety improvements for the bridge.

"Currently, the bridge width is narrowed by the concrete kerbs which are not structurally necessary. We are going to remove these and install stronger rails that will be more effective at keeping vehicles confined on the bridge."

The Maronan Road bridge has been the site of two fatal crashes, the first in September 2015 and the second in February 2019.

In both cases, the vehicles collided with the rail before landing in the riverbed.

It's expected that the upgrades will be completed by March.