Whangārei's new Port Road bridge gets huge concrete beams lowered into place

The huge steel beams were lowered into place yesterday afternoon. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Beams for Whangārei's new Port Rd bridge have been craned into place and the project is due for completion in August.

The concrete beams are 20.6m long, 1.1m wide and weigh 26 tonnes and mark the next stage in the $10 million project, which began in August last year.

Traffic continued to flow along the old bridge while the beams were put in place yesterday afternoon.

The new bridge, across Hāhā Creek/Limeburner's Creek, will widen the road to four lanes between the Okara roundabout and Kioreroa Rd intersection.

The bridge was designed "to ease traffic flow in an area that can become clogged with traffic at peak hours", Simon Weston, Whangārei District Council group manager infrastructure, said.

Traffic disruption has been minimal because the new bridge has been built alongside the old one, which remained open.

Traffic flows along the old bridge as the new bridge is built alongside, with the new beams in place. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Project manager Mark Seakins said the project was on budget, but Covid-19 lockdowns have delayed the completion date from June to late August.

This is also when demolition and service relocation work is due to begin on a new roundabout at the intersection of Port Rd and Kioreroa Rd.

"The initial work will be in the old fertiliser works land and will have negligible impacts on traffic flows for the next few months," Weston said.

About 53 per cent of the $6.7m roundabout was funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, and the rest by Whangārei ratepayers.

The new bridge is designed for eastbound traffic, while westbound traffic will use the old bridge.

The new bridge was designed with a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the creek safely.

This bridge project was funded by Kānoa, the regional economic development and investment unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, as part of the Government's "shovel ready" Covid-19 response plan.