The steel cables holding the concrete deck in place have been installed on the striking Hendon Footbridge being built as part of Auckland’s Waterview Connection project.
The 39 hangers are fitted between the sculptured arch and the deck. They support 77 metres of the main span where it crosses the Southwestern Motorway (State Highway 20).
“The installation of the cables completes the last structural milestone of the footbridge’s construction,” says the NZ Transport Agency’s Highway Manager Brett Gliddon.
A crane was used to install the hangers. They have been tensioned to both support the bridge deck as well as restrict movement from wind gusts.
The footbridge, which will be used by walkers and cyclists, crosses the motorway at the south or Mt Roskill end of the project near the southern portals of the Waterview tunnels.
“We’ve received lots of positive feedback from people and our social media community who appreciate the remarkable design of this landmark feature,” Mr Gliddon says.
“The beauty of the bridge’s design will be equally matched by its easy access to allow people to explore new community facilities that we have built as part of the Waterview project.”
The total length of the bridge is 300 metres and it will connect the communities of Owairaka and New Windsor. Pedestrians and cyclists using the footbridge will be able to access the southwestern shared path and new sports fields at Valonia Street and Barrymore Road.
The Hendon Footbridge is planned to open in early 2017, in conjunction with the Waterview tunnels and Great North Road Interchange.
The Waterview Connection completes Auckland’s Western Ring Route, a 48km additional route to SH1. It will link Manukau, Auckland, Waitakere and the North Shore, improving network resilience, travel time reliability and bus shoulder lanes as well as upgrading cycleway and pedestrian facilities.
The Waterview Connection 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.
