Gully bridges lifted into place for Peacocke development

Wednesday, 17 April 2024

A major milestone for the Peacocke development has been hit, with two gully bridges lifted into place.

The bridges each weigh about 110 tonnes and span the Mangakotukutuku Gully.

They’ll not only carry critical wastewater pipes, the council says, they’ll also be a centrepiece in a “future off-road shared pathway” for Peacocke walkers and cyclists.

Making the bridges took more than a year of work behind the scenes and off-site, Hamilton City Council’s project manager for Peacocke’s wastewater projects Sven Ericksen said.

They’ve been carefully designed to reduce construction costs, maintenance requirements and their impact on the gully and surrounding environment.

“The southern bridge is nestled into the gully and skims across the top of existing trees and will provide a unique view of the nearby Whatukōruru Pā site,” Ericksen said.

The view from the gully of the north bridge.

Each bridge was lifted into place by a 550-tonne capacity crawler crane.

“The crane was dismantled and transported across the site for the second gully bridge. The second lift required an extra crane that was used to set the bridge in its final resting incline before being lifted into place.”

The final position creates a 2.2m height difference, from one end to the other, to bring the bridge down to the current level of the old sand quarry area at the northern end.

Designed to hold working wastewater pipes and people walking and biking, each of the 66m-long arches were assembled on site by East Coast bridge builders, Eastbridge.

Now the bridges are in, it’s time for finishing touches on their decks and foundations before the connecting pipeline on each side is installed.

Much of the work happened off-site in Napier over the past year - fabricating parts for the two bridges before transporting sections individually to Peacocke.

“Significant work has also happened on site to build concrete foundations for each bridge and stabilising the ground around the route of the future pathway while protecting the natural environment,” Ericksen said.

With the two bridges in place, the finishing touches will be completed on the bridge decks and foundations before the connecting pipeline on each side is installed.

“When people travel over the bridges, they’ll be able to see the joins that show where each piece of the large jigsaw puzzle came together.”

The council decided in September 2021 to approve an upgrade to the bridges so they can carry people, not just pipes, and build the shared pathways.

“They will be the centrepieces of the future off-road shared pathway for people walking or biking in Peacocke.”

He said ultimately, this pathway will be part of the active mode transport network in Peacocke, connecting to local schools, parks, or playgrounds and to the existing river paths for people heading to the central city for work, learning or pleasure.