Brian Perry Civil Awarded high level bridge contract
3 December 2013
Brian Perry Civil has won the $1.6 million contract to repair Cambridge's high level bridge.
Tenders were sought for the repair work in September and a decision has now been made by Waipa District Council. The project is jointly funded by council and the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Work on the 106-year-old bridge will begin in January 2014 and will include widening the footpaths by 40 cm m to ensure pedestrians, mobility scooter drivers and cyclists have a safe route across the bridge. The work will also involve repairs to the bridge structure and drainage.
The bridge sits 35.4m above the Waikato River, spans 141m and has a Historic Places Trust Category 1 classification.
The work is expected to take around four months. For much of that time, the bridge will be reduced to one lane during the day. Potentially, there may a limited number of nights when the bridge will be fully closed.
Waipa District Council's group manager service delivery, Barry Bergin said the aim was to limit the amount of disruption for both bridge users and businesses at that end of town. Council is working with the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and other affected parties, he said.
A temporary roundabout will be installed at the intersection of Shakespeare Street and SH1 to help the flow of traffic during this time. The roundabout is excepted to take about a week to install in the early part of January.
Weekly updates will be published on page three of the Cambridge Edition from late January once closures start. Daily updates will be available on the council website www.waipadc.govt.nz.
Since announcing the partial closure, the issue of the third bridge had been raised.
Mr Bergin said although no definite costings had been done, a new bridge and connecting roads could cost upwards of $30 million.
At that kind of money it would need to be very carefully considered by council. We are waiting to see the impact of the Waikato Expressway on traffic volumes. Current modelling shows traffic will be significantly reduced on SH1 with an increase in traffic using Ferguson Bridge (low level bridge) rather than Victoria. But modelling doesn't always reflect human behaviour, he said.
Council has set aside $220,000 in the 2015/2016 year for some intensive investigative work on any potential third bridge.
Ends
For further information please contact:
Barry Bergin
Group Manager Service Delivery
(07) 8720089
027 293 8115
