Hollywood Bailey bridge enhancements aim for 50-year life after Gabrielle

Strengthening work on the Hollywood Bailey bridge at Bushy Knoll will extend the life span of the bridge by 50 years. Work started this week and will continue through to December.

Strengthening work on the Hollywood Bailey bridge has started.

The original bridge, a vital connection for the residents of Bushy Knoll, was built in 1957 and was one of eight bridges lost during Cyclone Gabrielle.

A temporary low-level crossing was installed late in March last year to provide immediate relief to the isolated community.

However, this solution was prone to flooding and only suitable for light vehicles.

The Hollywood Bailey bridge, which opened in October 2023, provides a weather-resistant connection to the residents, Gisborne District Council director of community lifelines Tim Barry said.

“As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle and subsequent rain events, there were 139 bridges and large culvert structures either damaged or destroyed, impacting the 420 vital bridge and culvert assets managed by the council.

“Strengthening the Hollywood Bailey bridge is another step forward in our commitment to providing safe and reliable infrastructure for our residents.

“A Bailey bridge is often considered a temporary solution. We’ve run a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility and challenges linked to adopting the Bailey bridge as a permanent solution and it makes sense.

“The Hollywood Bailey bridge was designed and constructed to a height of 2m above the height of the old bridge and offers improved flood and earthquake resilience compared to the previous bridge.

“While a new permanent bridge would offer some improvements, such as lifting speed restrictions, extending the life of the Bailey bridge offers a cost-effective solution at a time where budget management is critical to ensure we can repair as many of our damaged assets as possible.”

To ensure the longevity and durability of this critical infrastructure, Universal Engineering will be doing specialised strengthening works to the bridge.

These enhancements are designed to extend the bridge’s service life to 50 years, representing a cost-efficient and longer-term solution for the community.

The scheduled works include steel reinforcement, grouting and the application of new protective coatings.

Weather-dependent, the works are expected to take around eight weeks to complete.

Closure of the bridge is not required. However, the council has asked residents and bridge users to be mindful of workers at the site.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi also started work this week at Makarika Valley to reinstate the road back to two lanes, as well as rock revetment and river diversion to protect the highway.

Daily work, which will take place Monday to Friday from 6am to 6pm, with some Saturdays required, began yesterday, and will continue through to December.

One lane will be closed to traffic at Makarika Valley and the area will operate under a one-way traffic light or stop/go system.