The bridge was closed for reinforcement works between late 2008 and October 2009 as part of the Central Connector, a 3 km bus priority route connecting the Auckland CBD to Newmarket and other destinations. It received a $7 million carbon fibre strengthening upgrade to bring it up to current earthquake standards and to enable it to serve as a dedicated route for large numbers of buses. It can now accommodate up to 1200 bus trips a day. The bridge now has a load-carrying capacity of 40 tonnes, instead of the previous 13 tonnes.