Upper Harbour Bridge

The bridge from the north.
The bridge from the eastern (Greenhithe) end, with the walking / cycling paths and a memorial stone visible.

The Upper Harbour Bridge (also called Greenhithe Bridge) is a motorway bridge which is technically two bridges as of 2006 spanning a reach of the Waitemata Harbour, and connects Hobsonville (in Waitakere City) and Greenhithe (in North Shore City), New Zealand.

It is also an important connection for State Highway 18, which will become even more important once the Western Ring Route is finished (likely to be in the 2010s).

History

The original bridge was built in the 1970s. Its capacity proved insufficient for later traffic demands of more than 27,000 vehicles per day[1] (soon to be up to 35,000 vehicles per day with the completion of the motorway works)[2] and a duplicate bridge was constructed next to it. The new bridge was designed and engineered by Beca, and built between 2005-2006 by Fletcher Construction using self-compacting concrete.[3] The new bridge cost NZ$35 million[2] and provides a 524 m long, 16.5m wide, 10-span crossing. This was designed to match the existing 457 m long existing 7-span cantilever bridge aesthetically.[4][5]

The bridges provide three lanes toward Greenhithe (an uphill gradient) and two lanes downhill. Prior to the first stage of the Upper Harbour Motorway opening, Transit NZ closed off the old bridge to make repairs, especially to reduce a sagging effect due to old tensioning cables.[6] With the opening of the motorway on 6 December 2007 all bridge lanes are now open.[2] The new bridge also provides a cycle-way and walkway on the north side. [1]

The bridge project, together with the causeway widening, has received a Silver Award from the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand.[5]

The original bridge was in 1986 used by A. J. Hackett for the first jumps testing the equipment for what was to eventually become the world's first commercial bungee jumping company.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Work on Upper Harbour Corridor Begins (official website of the Parliament of New Zealand)
  2. 1 2 3 New SH18 Greenhithe motorway opens up growth opportunities - Transit New Zealand, Media Release, Thursday 6 December 2007. Accessed 2008-01-16.
  3. ↑ Upper Harbour Bridge datasheet (from the New Zealand Concrete Society website)
  4. ↑ Upper Harbour duplicate bridge (from the Fletcher Construction website)
  5. 1 2 Upper Harbour Bridge Duplication & Causeway Widening - Innovate NZ, Brochure of the '2007 ACENZ Awards of Excellence', Page 19
  6. ↑ Falconer, Phoebe (6 June 2006). "Get moving: New bridge open, now the old one's closed". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  7. ↑ "Can you Hackett?". Unlimited - Inspiring Business. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2010.

Coordinates: 36°47′06″S 174°40′04″E / 36.784903°S 174.667801°E / -36.784903; 174.667801

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