Video: Waikare Gorge Bailey bridge noise making it ‘unnerving’ to drive over - truckie

A truck driver says the increasingly loud noise the temporary Waikare Bailey bridge makes on State Highway 2 is becoming “unnerving”.

The bridge, destroyed during Cyclone Gabrielle and then replaced months later, is the connection between Napier and Wairoa and Gisborne to the north. Known as a Bailey bridge, it is a portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge.

Wilbur Redward, a truck driver and dispatcher for Farmers Transport, said he had noted a change in the sounds when travelling across the Bailey bridge over the Waikare Gorge.

Redward said there was a “slight creak and a little bit of movement” when crossing the bridge after it was first installed in 2023 after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Wilbur Redward (left) and Ben Whaitiri (operations manager) alongside a Farmers Transport stock truck.

“As the time gone on the slight creak has turned into a fair noise.

“You can feel the movement of the bridge when you are creeping across it.”

He said he could also feel a noticeable drop as he drove his truck onto the bridge and across it.

“You are twice the weight when loaded and the bridge notices it.”

He said the Farmers Transport trucks would travel the Napier to Wairoa road at least twice a week each way since carting stock to Wairoa.

He described the noise now as a “creak and a groan” and said the bridge was “not that stoked about having that weight on it”.

Redward said despite the sounds, the bridge was a necessity for access and praised the road workers for their work to keep it open.

“They have done a fantastic job of actually keeping access.”

Martin Colditz , system manager for Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), said it was not uncommon for Bailey bridges to be noisy.

“Many steel components work together, to allow ‘Baileys’ to flex under loads as well as be assembled quickly during emergencies.”

He said the flexible steel support structure was moving with the new timber decking which was to blame for “increased noise”.

Colditz said the bridge was structurally sound and safe to use and was regularly monitored for load capacity and wear and tear, to assess how regularly maintenance should be carried out on the temporary solution.

“The bridge is designed to be disassembled and used again and again at other sites and is also designed to avoid central piers in the river.”

The Waikare Gorge Bailey bridge before it closed for two nights while new bridge deck panels were installed.

The bridge was constructed using kitset Bailey bridge frames, made from steel which were put together on site.

Colditz said it was important for drivers to obey the road speed limit and if not the extra speed could accelerate wear and tear on the surface.

“The structural integrity is not impacted as long as road users adhere to a strict 10 km/h speed limit on the bridge and a 50 MAX weight limit.”

He said the limit still ensured many heavy freight vehicles could use it, and the daily use of the bridge was regularly and closely monitored.

Colditz said the bridge was the only Bailey bridge on a state highway in Hawke’s Bay, and across the region, and there was a total of nine temporary Bailey bridges.

Six of those fell in the Hastings District, two in the Wairoa District and the Waikare Bridge came under the care of NZTA.

State Highway 2 overnight closures

State Highway 2 was heavily damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle and has been under constant roadworks in the 20 months since.

Between Tutira and Arapaoanui Rd will be closed from 9pm-5am for five nights, starting on Sunday, as work continues on the Devil’s Elbow rebuild.

During daytime hours, the road will be under traffic management through the Devil’s Elbow section.

A Farmers Transport stock truck pictured on the Devil’s Elbow in March 2023 after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Devil’s Corner, which has been labelled Project I, will be the largest, and last, of the recovery projects in the SH2 Devil’s Elbow section, with Cyclone Gabrielle having caused a significant underslip that damaged the southbound lane of SH2 at the corner.

A community meeting, hosted by NZTA Waka Kotahi and TREC, is at Pūtōrino on November 20 to share information and progress on recovery work going in the area, including at Devil’s Elbow.

An NZTA spokesperson says it’s anticipated the meeting may include a project update on a plan to realign SH2 at the Waikare Gorge, still in planning stages despite hopes a year ago that work could have started by the end of 2024.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.