Fix-it plan in place for damaged Ballarat Street Bridge

Warmer weather is needed before an historical bridge in central Queenstown can be fixed.

A large crack is running through a section of stonework on the downstream side of the Ballarat Street Bridge.

A spokesperson for the council says it was caused by a vehicle crash in November.

The council has since assessed the extent of the damage and the type of repair required, as well as obtained the required heritage-related permissions to start reconstruction work, the spokesperson says.

"We expect to undertake repairs after winter, once the weather warms up sufficiently to ensure mortar can be applied to the required quality," the spokesperson says.

"The cost, and who will be paying, remains subject to final confirmation."

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga lists the stone arch bridge as a category 1 historic place.

It was constructed in 1882 to provide access across Horne Creek - once known as Town Creek.

While originally erected by local stonemason James McNeil, the bridge was upgraded in 2002.

Mr McNeill had immigrated from Scotland in his teens and worked as a stonemason in Oamaru and Alexandra before moving to Queenstown in 1882.

Image (Supplied): A downstream section of the protected Ballarat Street Bridge is cracked.