Tamaki Drive, the coastal road linking Auckland's CBD and the beachside eastern suburbs, will close to all traffic tonight at 10pm for work on a new pedestrian bridge at Pt Resolution.
The closure will allow a 450-tonne crane to lift two 60 tonne beams - the same weight about four double-decker buses - on to the new pedestrian bridge.
The new pedestrian bridge will be constructed on the northern (sea) side of the existing Pt Resolution estuary bridge. The existing shared path on the bridge will be converted to continue the bi-directional cycleway.
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The crane will be set up in two locations for the job. It will take 18 hours to set up, lift one beam into place and be dismantled before the process is repeated for the second beam.
The closure, between Quay St and the Ngapipi bridge, will be in place until Sunday evening. Diversions will be in place via Ngapipi Rd through Orakei, Remuera and Parnell to and from the CBD.
A lane for emergency vehicles will be maintained through the construction site. The footpath on the south side of Tamaki Drive will be open for pedestrians and people on bikes.
The new pedestrian bridge is part of a $14.4 million upgrade of Tamaki Drive between Quay St that includes walking and cycling improvements and raising the road up to half a metre between the Outboard Boating Club and Ngapipi bridge.
Flooding has been a problem on Tamaki Drive, typically during king tides.
