Work is underway strengthening the Kawarau River Bridge on State Highway 6 to extend the life of the 50-year-old bridge and remove overweight restrictions for heavy vehicles.
Most of the work on the bridge, adjacent to the AJ Hackett Bungy site between Cromwell and Queenstown, will be carried out underneath the bridge deck and will not be visible to motorists, says the NZ Transport Agency’s Senior Network Manager Otago John Jarvis.
“There will be phases throughout the five-month contract when speed restrictions, single-lane access and 15-minute delays will be unavoidable. This will be for the replacement of bolts and to weld in place new structural components.
“The most disruptive periods will be one week of single-lane access, most probably during the second week of February, and for most of March and April, when there will be 15-minute delays and single-lane traffic, Monday to Saturday.”
Mr Jarvis says there has been careful planning to programme the work to ensure the least disruption possible, and to avoid delays for such events as the NZ Golf Open, Gibbston Concert and public holidays.
“There will be some night work, however this will be limited because of safety issues relating to working in the dark under the deck.”
The repair work, being carried out by Fulton Hogan, will include replacing 1400 bolts and the installation of new structural components and shock absorbers at each end of the bridge to reduce load induced stress in the steel arch truss.
The work will cost about $1.1 million and is expected to be completed in June.
Onsite electronic signs will provide motorists with the latest information on what delays to expect. For more information about the project, visit the Transport Agency’s website(external link) or phone 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).
