Work to replace the 90-year-old Whakaruatapu Bridge north of Dannevirke is progressing well, with construction on the new culvert and road to the north of the bridge well under way.
NZ Transport Agency Central Region Highways Neil Walker says a culvert was the safest, least disruptive and most cost-effective solution to replace the current narrow bridge.
“It is likely the current bridge would not cope with the effects of a significant earthquake. The new road layout and culvert is going to be wider, longer, lower, safer and more resilient than the ‘skinny’ bridge it is replacing, “ Mr Walker says.
Traffic will be able to use the new road and culvert in May, when the existing bridge is scheduled to be demolished. There will be initial speed restrictions until the road surface is finished.
“We started construction works on this project in October 2014, and the whole project will be complete in September this year. It’s been a big job - the project required approximately 150,000 cubic metres of material to be shifted to form the new road alignment,” Mr Walker says.
The project also includes a New Zealand engineering milestone, as the culvert is first Super-Cor Arch Culvert constructed in New Zealand.
“This type of culvert was the only option strong enough to handle the weight of the 16 metres of rockfill that will be above it,” Mr Walker says.
The current alignment will be maintained in a safe condition until traffic is transferred to the new road and culvert.
The new culvert is 120 metres long, 6 metres wide and 3 metres high, with a reinforced concrete slab foundation. The new road level is approximately 3 metres lower than the existing bridge over Whakaruatapu Stream.
The existing bridge is 5.79m wide between kerbs. It is a 22 metre high level viaduct type structure, 58 metres long with a reinforced concrete deck.
