Bridge construction proceeds with abutment pile drilling

A temporary platform juts into the Kawarau River from its southern bank at the site of the...
A temporary platform juts into the Kawarau River from its southern bank at the site of the Kawarau Falls bridge replacement project near Queenstown. The existing bridge is in the foreground. Photo by Guy Williams.
Construction of the $22million Kawarau Falls bridge is making visible progress, with a temporary platform jutting well into the river from the southern bank.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) senior project manager Phil Dowsett said drilling had begun for two permanent piles for the abutment anchoring the bridge to the southern side of the Kawarau River.

Work on the northern abutment was expected to begin within a fortnight.

Once that was completed, the next stage would be to drill a single pile out from each abutment for the bridge's first and fifth piers, with three more piers spanning the river after that.

Mr Dowsett said the bridge's design was now complete and had been signed off by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

However, the NZTA was consulting with the council over detailed design work for the existing bridge once traffic had transferred to the new structure.

It was also finalising designs for landscaping the construction site and connecting new walking and cycling trails with existing trails.

There were usually about 20 staff on site, either from main contractor McConnell Dowell or subcontractors, but that number was expected to increase next month once work on the northern bank began, he said.

When finished, the 250m, two-lane curving structure will consist of 1100cu m of concrete and 1500 tonnes of steel.

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