Iconic ETA bridge slides into place over the Waikato River
Wednesday 27 January 2010, 4:42PM
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The construction of the East Taupo Arterial reached a significant milestone today (Tuesday 26 Jan 2010) with the successful launch of the base of the Waikato River Network Arch Bridge across the water onto temporary piles.
Fulton Hogan began the delicate operation of ‘pushing’ the 100 metre base weighing 200 tonnes across the Waikato River early in the morning. A 400 tonne crane, one of the largest in New Zealand, was positioned on the southern river bank taking the weight of the base, ensuring a flawless launch.
“The entire operation took less than a day, which is a tremendous feat as this is the first time this style of bridge has been launched in this manner in New Zealand,” said Andrew McRae Fulton Hogan Project Manager. “The many hours of meticulous planning by all the work crews involved ensured the operation went smoothly allowing us to open the closed portion of the river to all river users earlier than anticipated.”
The base will now sit in a temporary position to allow the placement of the network arch and 72 hangers creating the support structure for the bridge. Over the coming weeks another two lifts will occur placing the bridge onto the permanent bridge piers.
The 200 tonne base unit was fabricated offsite and was pre-assembled and moved into position on the ETA alignment to the north (east of the river crossing) over the last two and a half months. The entire Waikato Bridge structure weighs in at 700 tonnes, which includes the landspans that will sit at either end of the main span which are yet to be constructed.
TDC Project Manager Ron Boyle said “This is a hugely significant step forward in the construction of the Waikato River Bridge. Once completed, it will be able to carry not only all vehicles travelling on SH1 but will also have a dedicated cycle and pedestrian walkway and provision for carrying Contact Energy pipelines. The Waikato River Bridge will certainly become the iconic feature of the ETA,” he said.
Currently the completion date for the 16km East Taupo Arterial is March 2011, however due to significant progress made in the past year, Fulton Hogan expects to deliver an earlier opening date.