The Ernie Pinches footbridge spanning Auckland’s Southwestern Motorway (State Highway 20) at Mt Roskill has re-opened. It was closed for four months for work linked to the nearby Waterview Connection project.
One of the piers supporting the 170m-long bridge had to be removed and part of the bridge raised to provide room for changes to the motorway below to accommodate traffic that will use the Waterview tunnels.
“The bridge is an important link – especially for children attending local primary and intermediate schools - and we want to thank the local community for their patience and support while we completed our necessary work,” says the NZ Transport Agency’s Acting Auckland and Northland Highway Manager Mieszko Iwaskow.
Ernie Pinches provides safe access for about 500 walkers and cyclists every day.
The Waterview Connection project includes construction of twin tunnels and an interchange to link the Southwestern and Northwestern Motorways. It will complete Auckland’s Western Ring Route, a 47-kilometre-long motorway between Albany on the North Shore and Manukau in the south, and is planned to open to traffic in early 2017.
The project is being delivered by the Well-Connected Alliance which includes the Transport Agency, Fletcher Construction, McConnell Dowell, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Beca Infrastructure, Tonkin & Taylor and Japanese construction company Obayashi Corporation. Sub-alliance partners are Auckland-based Wilson Tunnelling and Spanish tunnel controls specialists SICE.
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Jan McCarthy
Media Manager
NZ Transport Agency
T: +64 3 964 2885
M: +64 21 427 442
E: jan.mcarthy@nzta.govt.nz
The NZ Transport Agency works to create transport solutions for all New Zealanders - from helping new drivers earn their licences, to leading safety campaigns to investing in public transport, state highways and local roads.
