Waikato River bridge build marks the second anniversary with milestone lift

A key part of a wider transport network planned for the Peacocke neighbourhood, the new bridge over the Waikato River, is set to open in late 2023. The bridge features four lanes, including dedicated bus lanes. With no piers in the river and a single Y-shaped pillar on the south bank of the river, supporting a flat bridge deck spanning more than 200m, it is an exciting addition to Hamilton’s cityscape.

The city’s new river bridge has celebrated another exciting achievement with the final form of the bridge revealed.

The final girder segment was lifted into place early Tuesday morning with the aid of the country’s second-largest crawler crane.

“Tuesday’s girder lift was a milestone moment in that the bridge’s superstructure is now finished,” Hamilton City Council Executive Director Strategic Infrastructure Andrew Parsons said.

“The bridge doesn’t have a proper deck, handrails or lighting yet but the final form of the bridge is now complete. It’s stunning and there’s nothing like it in Hamilton.”

The bridge beams will be visible under the bridge deck and made from the same weathering steel used for the central V-shaped pier.

With the bridge’s span across the river completed, the crawler crane will now be tasked with lifting a pedestrian bridge into place across the new Wairere Drive extension, at the river bridge’s northern end. The footbridge was fabricated locally by PFS Engineering in Riverlea, Hamilton.

The bridge contract was awarded in 2020, with work starting in October of that year. At $160.2 million, it’s the largest capital contract awarded by Council and includes building new roads in Peacocke.

Parsons said the bridge is a significant transport connection for the new community in Peacocke and will enable essential services to support residential development. Hidden inside the girders are pipes for water, wastewater and cables for electricity and the internet.

“The bridge also represents our biggest investment in the environment and ecological outcomes.”

“If you look at the bridge with no central pier in the river there are large areas underneath where bats can fly. These design elements contribute to the environmental outcomes from our investment.”

To get the best view of activity at the bridge site, people are encouraged to access the shared path between Hamilton Gardens and Howell Avenue off Cobham Drive.

Up to 20,000 future residents of Peacocke will need good connections to the rest of the city and the wider region. The new bridge and the new pedestrian bike and public transport-friendly road network provide this integration of Peacocke into Hamilton and the greater Waikato region.

Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Hamilton.