| 49 T T Hugh de Lacy Bridge key to community’s recovery Fulton Hogan recently completed the construction of the causeway extending into the existing riverbed. Hawke’s Bay: Hastings District Council: Fulton Hogan REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Community interest in the replacement of the washed-away Puketapu Bridge near Napier is so high that the Hastings District Council (HDC) is considering installing a viewing platform so the public can watch progress. The original swing-bridge over the Tutaekuri River was washed away in 1897 and replaced in 1906 by another that lasted until 1962 when it was replaced by a 122m single-lane concrete bridge comprising six 20m spans. This was one of 13 bridges and six large culverts wiped out in the Cyclone Gabrielle floods last year, causing around $800 million worth of damage to roads across the district. Unlike 10 of the other sites, it was not feasible to install a temporary bridge at Puketapu, but it was made one of the first projects of the cyclone recovery. Following the temporary relocation of Unison power and Chorus fibre utilities, site establishment got under way in mid-June. Awarded the contract for the first two portions of the rebuild, Fulton Hogan recently completed the construction of the causeway extending into the existing riverbed. During the causeway construction, 19 longfin eels, one shortfin and one Gran’s bully were safely relocated to an undisturbed section of the river upstream. The causeway’s construction ensures a safe and efficient work area while minimising disruption to the river’s ecosystem. Work has begun on both abutments with three out of six piles, reaching a depth of 15m, already completed. A further six piles are required for the project, with some of these reaching depths of 41m. The new bridge, expected to be completed in July of next year, will have just three spans supporting two lanes and a cycle and pedestrian pathway, and is fully funded by Crown Infrastructure Projects through the National Resilience Plan for Regional Transport. “The advantage of having three spans instead of the previous six is both that it’ll be more cost- effective and present less of a profile to flood water and debris in the future,” says Trevor Muddle, the HDC’s Bridge Programme Manager. “It’s being constructed in the same location as the old bridge, which was unsuitable for temporary bridging, making the quick provision of a replacement all the more necessary.” The old bridge was one of three over the Tutaekuri River that were washed away in the Cyclone Gabrielle floods, cutting residents off from each other, and children from the local school. It also disrupted an important link in the Hawke’s Bay Trails network that forms one of the Nga Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand. As well as the bridge construction, additional safety improvements to the intersections through Puketapu Village will be implemented around this project. HDC is working closely with treaty partners and other community interests across the project. Eighteen months after the cyclone, the recovery work still to be done includes the repair of 90 bridges and about 180 large slips, the rebuilding of 13 permanent bridges and five large culverts. The transport recovery across Hastings District is expected to take from seven to 10 years to complete.
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