Workers repaired the Te Reinga bridge near Wairoa with the help of an inflatable dinghy and two swimming pools. Photo / Chris McGregor
Workers repaired the Te Reinga bridge near Wairoa with the help of an inflatable dinghy and two swimming pools. Photo / Chris McGregor
Two pools and a dinghy were crucial to an innovative Wairoa bridge repair which has been recognised with a construction award.
Wairoa contracting company Quality Roading and Services won a Civil Construction New Zealand (CCNZ) Hawke’s Bay East Coast Award for its efforts to brace and reopen Te Reinga Bridge in May this year.
A QRS statement explained that Te Reinga Bridge is 35 kilometres from Wairoa and is the main link to Wairoa and Gisborne for people living in the Ruakituri area.
The bridge suffered severe damage in March after heavy rains and flooding.
“The bridge was closed, which had social, educational, and financial impacts on the Te Reinga, Ruakituri and Tiniroto communities. Families had to drive a 90-minute alternative route just to travel what would otherwise normally be a few hundred metres,” the statement said.
Two 40-tonne bulldozers restrained bridge piers while the semi-permanent solution of reinforcing bars under the bridge deck was designed.
Before the emergency scaffolding was installed, workers wore life jackets when working on or above the water, and some of the work installing the reinforcing bars was carried out in an inflatable dinghy.
Two second-hand swimming pools were sourced by QRS to load-test the bridge and see if it could support the weight of light vehicles.
“The pools were incrementally filled with water to see if the bridge could hold the engineers’ recommended weight,” the QRS statement said.
“During the test, water was pumped from trucks parked off the bridge. Pump flow rates were regulated so that 1000 litres [a tonne] could be added at a time.”
Pier subsidence caused the Te Reinga Bridge deck to bow, which locals noticed and reported to Wairoa District Council. Photo / Brennan Thomas / Strike Photography
QRS worked alongside Wairoa District Council, WSP, Fulton Hogan, and Lattey Group, and the bridge was reopened to light traffic in May after seven weeks, instead of the expected 13 weeks.
Wairoa District Council Mayor Craig Little congratulated the team for its innovative repair work.
“This project demonstrated the merits of having a locally-based contracting company with the capability that QRS has,” Little said.
QRS chief executive Jeremy Harker said the Te Reinga Bridge project is an example of the lengths local staff will go to for residents.
“The response in April and May was driven by good old-fashioned neighbourhood enthusiasm. Everyone on the wider team knew someone affected by the bridge closure and wanted to be part of a safe and fast solution.”
The CCNZ award for projects less than $200,000 was presented to QRS staff at a CCNZ ceremony in Hastings on Friday, November 25.
It’s the second time in two years QRS has won a CCNZ accolade, after being recognised in 2021 for a large seawall they built to secure a cliff-face on Mahia East Coast Rd.
