25 May 2007
During the week beginning May 28, Waipa District Council will be replacing a pedestrian bridge in Te Awamutu’s Memorial park. The bridge is located on Pioneer Walk adjacent to the Mutu Street road bridge.
A routine engineering inspection identified some weaknesses in the existing bridge, and the cost of repairs exceeded the cost of replacement.
The new bridge is a single span of nearly 19 metres, constructed of tanalised laminated timber beams, and weighs in at 6 tonnes. It was constructed in Levin by Craftbuilt Industries Ltd and will be transported to the site by truck. A heavy crane will remove the old bridge and place the new one. Some work is also to be done to the existing abutments to accommodate the new bridge.
The total cost of the project is around $40,000. This includes removal of the old bridge, abutment modification, placement of the new bridge, and reinstatement of paving at the bridge approaches.
The work should take approximately one week to complete, and during this time that section of Pioneer Walk will be closed. Alternative routes include the footpath across the road bridge, into Christie Avenue, then back onto Pioneer Walk, or across the park to the next bridge by the children's playground.