The second of the two new bridges being built by the NZ Transport Agency over the Waitaki River on State Highway 82 at Kurow will be officially opened in three weeks – ahead of schedule.
The deck of the bridge is currently being poured and work is progressing on installation of the guard rails and hand rails, says the Transport Agency’s Highway Manager Colin Knaggs.
“Our contractor McConnell Dowell Constructors has had two crews working on site since we opened the first bridge six weeks ago. This, coupled with the streamlining of the construction process and a piling programme that progressed smoothly, means the second bridge will be opened on Saturday 7 June.”
The two new two-lane bridges being built on State Highway 82 replace two ageing single-lane bridges which opened in 1881. The $20.1 million project is part of the Transport Agency’s $1 billion programme of investment in Canterbury’s transport network from 2012 to 2015.
Mr Knaggs says work is well underway deconstructing the first of the old timber bridges over the southern branch of the river. “More than a third of the bridge has been removed and we expect deconstruction of the remaining section to be completed within a month.”
Traffic is using one-lane of the new bridge while the deconstruction work is completed, along with the earthworks for the widening of the approaches.
He says after the opening of the second bridge, the contractors are expected to remain onsite until early October, deconstructing the second bridge, completing development of the approaches for the second bridge and link road and finishing any land rehabilitation.
The opening of the second of the two Waitaki bridges will be on Saturday 7 June at 12.30pm, to which all the community is invited to celebrate this significant milestone for the district.
For more information please contact:
Jan McCarthy
Media Manager - Christchurch
NZ Transport Agency
T: 03 964 2885
M: 021 427 442
E: jan.mccarthy@nzta.govt.nz
