Widening of Waimakariri Bridge starts end of August, north of Christchurch
24 August 2018
NZ Government:
As part of the Christchurch Northern Corridor
(CNC) project, the
Waimakariri Bridge is being widened and strengthened
so it can carry two extra traffic lanes and a new clip-on cycleway.
Work will start at the end of the month but will be done off-peak to
reduce impacts on drivers. The project will take around 16 months to
complete.
The Waimakariri Motorway Bridge, in fact made up of two separate
bridges, north and southbound, will each gain an extra lane on the
inside of the pair. When they were built in the 1970s, provision was
made for three lanes on each, however bridge construction standards have
changed since then, so further strengthening is needed to take the
additional weight and width, says
NZ Transport Agency Portfolio Manager, Colin MacKay.
A clip-on cycleway/shared path will be added on the outside of the
southbound bridge.
From Monday, 27 August, CNC’s construction crew will start drilling the
more than 11,000 holes needed on the existing bridge decks to attach the
new decks. They will also attach strengthening beams to the top of the
bridge piers.
“During most of the work there will be little construction impact on
bridge traffic,” says Mr MacKay. “Our crews will be working in the
reserve area in between and underneath the two bridges and in part of
the river bed. To keep our crew and motorists separated and safe we will
need to reduce, first the north and then the southbound bridge to one
lane at off peak times. Temporary speed limits will also be in place.
“There will be a greater impact on drivers when we start placing the new
bridge beams by crane in November. We know this is a busy commuter
bridge so we will only do this during off peak hours and at night.
“Our work will mean some changes in the Waimakariri River Regional Park
area under the
bridges. We are working closely with the local rangers to keep this
area open and safe.”
--ENDS--
Source: New Zealand Government - www.beehive.govt.nz
Contact: N/A
External Links: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/projects/christchurch-northern-corridor/CNC-Waimakariri-Bridge-project-overview-20180813.pdf
Recent news by: NZ Government