Kopu bridge project ahead of schedule

The old Kopu Bridge. File photo / Dean Purcell

Construction on the replacement Kopu Bridge near Thames is ahead of schedule, with the project entering its next phase this week.

The $47m two-lane 580m bridge will replace the 82-year-old one-way-bridge which is seasonally the site of long delays for holiday-makers heading to the Coromandel Peninsula.

Work is starting on building a temporary working platform extending out from the eastern bank of the Waihou River. The remaining five piers of the bridge will be built alongside the temporary platform.

The first 10 piers have been built from a temporary structure extending from the western bank of the Waihou River. Contractors will this month begin removing sections of the western platform that are no longer needed, and will use these to begin building the eastern platform.

NZ Transport Agency project services manager Bryce Carter said construction of the eastern platform was beginning earlier than originally expected.

"Construction of the bridge is progressing well but, even if the bridge is completed early, this won't mean the whole project can be completed early.

"The critical factor is achieving our soil settlement targets on the bridge approaches, because we cannot build the approach roads until those targets are met. The project remains on target for completion in mid 2012."

Construction activity on the western platform is now focused on placing the final steel beams on the bridge spans and completing the concrete decks.

At the other end of the project site, the new State Highway 25/26 roundabout is taking shape. Traffic is now flowing on one section of the new roundabout, but access is currently one-way. Traffic will be moved around the site as the contractor digs out a section of the old road to complete the roundabout.

Mr Carter said drivers could expect some inconvenience at the roundabout site through to December.