GETTING concrete beams installed at Kōpaki bridge with the use of a 1200-tonne crane was described as an exciting time for all on site. PHOTO BY VANDI PHOTOGRAPHY/DOWNER
ATTENDEES of a King Country River Care meeting last week got a first-hand look at the progress being made on the new Kōpaki bridge. The group was allowed right onto the worksite to view the underside of the bridge, now complete with concrete beams manufactured by HEB Construction in Te Puke. Downer project manager Francois Prins answered questions from the group about the build, including timelines, costs and specifics of building materials used. Francois said the bridge design was complicated by the fact the beams aren’t on a level platform and one side splays. The bridge’s camber is different on each side of the centre point, he said. There was thought put into potentially building the bridge further north to allow it to be straight and remove some design complications, he said, but that would have required the road to be realigned. The current design also allowed room for an additional rail line to be installed in future if required, Francois said. A recent milestone was getting the concrete beams positioned with the use of a 1200-tonne crane back in August. About 15 heavy haulage trucks were used to get the crane in and then a 250-tonne crane was used to assemble the big one, Francois said. “It was an exciting couple of weeks for us.” In response to a question about the cost of the project, Francois said it was still within the budgeted cost of $12 million. It is on track to be complete in April next year.
