East Taupo bridge wins steel award
The SH1 East Taupo Arterial (ETA) Waikato River Bridge in New Zealand has taken out the Steel Construction New Zealand Awards for Excellence in Steel Construction 2011.
The awards celebrate New Zealand’s excellence in the field of steel construction by identifying projects that demonstrate best practice, outstanding teamwork, application of sustainability principles, great safety management and innovation. The awards are restricted to steel structures built by SCNZ Steel Constructors using New Zealand-fabricated steelwork.
As a significant structure within the NZ$110 million ETA project the Waikato River Bridge is the second only and the largest network arch bridge constructed in New Zealand, at some 150 m long. The project team worked together to provide an elegant, iconic and cost-effective solution in the face of cultural and physical challenges. The completed bridge provides a distinctive structural form and a landmark structure for the Taupo District.
The overall project was completed and opened five months ahead of schedule with the Waikato River Bridge being on the critical path for the entire project. The bridge was designed and constructed by a collaborative team of engineers from Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), Holmes Consulting Group, Fulton Hogan and Tenix New Zealand Limited.
The 440m long Contact Energy Bridge, the second of the significant steel bridges of the ETA project, which was delivered by the same team was also recognised at the awards as one of the three finalists. The project team for this bridge included SKM, Holmes Consulting Group, Fulton Hogan and Eastbridge.
The ETA project was a significant project within the National Land Transport Programme 2009-2010. Work commenced on the new 16 kilometre SH1 state highway mid 2008 and was completed ahead of schedule in October 2010.