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Council Accepts Tender for Repairs to Old Waimakariri Bridge
Friday, 10 August 2012
At its monthly meeting this week the Waimakariri District Council approved the acceptance of a tender from Fulton Hogan Ltd for earthquake repairs to the Old Waimakariri Bridge.
Earthquake activity in February last year caused considerable damage to pier 29 at the southern end of the bridge – the pier moved laterally and temporary propping of the beams was required to ensure that the bridge remained serviceable. Bridge piles supporting piers are normally designed for vertical loads only but, because pier 29 is on the river bank , it is also subject to horizontal movement and so the repairs to the piles needed to be designed to account for that. This took more investigation and design time than would have been required for a more standard pier and pile situation.
The repair project is a joint project between Waimakariri District Council and Christchurch City Council with the Waimakariri District Council share of the cost amounting to $657,000, sixty per cent of which ($394,200) will be covered by a New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) subsidy.
The Council’s share of the project will be $150,000 dearer than the $440,00 originally allocated to the project in the 2012/2013 financial year and Council yesterday approved a reallocation from within the overall roading earthquake recovery budget to allow for that.
Council staff advised that delay to the awarding of the contract and the subsequent delay to repairs would increase the risk of damage to the bridge as a result of further earthquakes or flooding, thus creating more adverse effects on road users and local businesses.
A start date for work on the bridge has not yet been determined but Council Roading Manager Ken Stevenson is keen to get it under way as soon as possible.
“Now that the tender for the repairs has been accepted, Fulton Hogan will come back to us with a firm start date and estimated completion date”, he says.
Further information:
Ken Stevenson
Roading Manager
Phone: (03) 311 8900 or (03) 327 6834
Email: ken.stevenson@wmk.govt.nz
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