The NZ Transport Agency has awarded the contract for the new, two-lane Kawarau Falls Bridge to McConnell Dowell Constructors Ltd of Auckland.
The contract is for the design and construction of the bridge based on the proposed design prepared for the designation and resource consents process in 2013. McConnell Dowell has teamed up with Novare Design Ltd of Wellington, the bridge design engineers.
“McConnell Dowell has recently completed, very successfully, the two new bridges over the Waitaki River near Kurow for the Transport Agency,” said Transport Agency Senior Project Engineer Phil Dowsett.
“They will utilise their team based in Christchurch including some of those people who worked on the Waitaki Bridges.”
Funding for the bridge was brought forward in the Government’s announcement in June 2014 to accelerate a package of regionally important State highway projects(external link). Fast-growing Queenstown’s Kawarau Falls Bridge project was one of five from around the country included in that package.
“The completed project will not only eliminate the delays at the existing one-lane bridge but also improve resilience of the State highway link from Queenstown to Southland and Milford Sound,” said Mr Dowsett.
“McConnell Dowell will complete the detailed design so that construction work on the bridge structure can start at the end of this year. In the interim there will be establishment and some preparatory work undertaken on the site. The value of the contract is $21.9 million with contract completion in the third quarter of 2017.
“The target is to open the new bridge before the busy winter 2017 season after which McConnell Dowell will concentrate on making the adjacent existing one-lane historic bridge fit for purpose as a walking and cycling route as part of the Queenstown Trails network(external link).”
An artist impression of the Kawarau Falls new bridge.
For more information, read the background on the new Kawarau Falls bridge from the NZ Transport Agency project web page(external link).
