Light cast on bridge problem

The lights on Te Matau A Pohe bridge need replacing due to a manufacturing fault. Photo / John Stone

Faulty lights on Whangarei's award-winning Te Matau A Pohe Bridge are "a bit annoying" but do not detract from the overall success of the project, council staff say.

A Northern Advocate story previewing the bridge's win at the Association of Consulting and Engineering Professionals of New Zealand attracted comments from several detractors, who said some lights were intermittent.

WDC project engineer Mark Seakins said there were problems with the lights that shone on to the bridge's roadway turning on and off randomly.

The lights were mounted on a waist-high barrier running along the side of the road.

"The light units contain a faulty driver that can make them turn on and off as they start to fail," Mr Seakins said.

"After several months of investigation and discussion, the manufacturer in China has acknowledged that the problem is caused by a fault in the lights.

"They have changed their product now."

Mr Seakins said the council would be replacing all faulty lights, though this would be done at no cost to the ratepayer.

"To make sure we will have sufficient lighting on the bridge while the work is done, we will replace the faulty lights in one batch.

"We will then roll out replacement of the remaining lights in smaller batches as they age, until they are all replaced."

It would take about two months for the new model lights to be shipped over and installed.

"It's a bit annoying but overall it doesn't detract from the excellent engineering of the bridge or stop it from operating," Mr Seakins said.