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SH10 Kāeo Bridge upgrade

18 August 2022



	Kia ora koutou, Our crew feel like locals now that most of a winter has passed and our site has been under water several times but has held up well. We’re doing our best to protect the surrounding environment throughout various flooding incidents, ensuring that silt from site run off is contained. Special fencing and fabric have been put in place to manage this and it means that rainwater is able to pass through into the river, but it keeps the nasties at bay. You’ll notice in this update there’s lots of talk of piling! This is a common process during the early stages of any bridge project which involves installing large concrete poles in the ground to improve strength and stability of the structure above. It’s naturally important the bridge structure itself, as well as the surrounding environment, is strong and durable so we need to spend quite a bit of time building solid foundations before the new bridge takes shape. We are finding the community Facebook page of great help when there are weather events and we are away from the site – thank you Kāeo!



	Construction progress Construction is progressing well and by the end of August, we will have completed around 30% of the Kāeo Bridge Upgrade. Piling for two of the retaining walls is now complete and a third retaining wall behind the Pohutukawa near the existing bridge has been formed using gabion baskets. These are made using high quality wire mesh filled with heavy stone and have been sourced locally and constructed onsite. Over the final few months of the year, the substructure of the new bridge will begin taking shape with piles and headstocks being installed. The headstocks are concrete beams which sit across the piles to distribute the load of the bridge structure above. The first of the bridge beams is due to arrive in autumn 2023. As construction progresses, we’ll continue to monitor and adjust the drainage and environmental controls we have in place to ensure they’re suitable for changing conditions.



	Temporary staging The short blue temporary bridge (staging we’ll build the bridge from) is taking shape, with six piles and three headstocks now in place. The staging allows for a stable platform above the river for our crane (Big Red) to sit while they install piles and headstocks for the new bridge. All site crew undergo specialised training for working at heights and above water. The first bridge pier will be constructed in the river this month followed by the headstock. Then, the temporary staging will be retracted and piling of the eastern bridge abutment (Kāeo side of the bridge) will begin. In total, there are eight permanent piles to be installed on the eastern abutment and this is expected to take around a month to complete, followed by construction of the abutment itself toward the end of the year.



	Click the image above to hear from our Fulton Hogan Project Superintendent, Ron Caesar Red light runners risking lives The sensor traffic lights at the works for the bridge have a pre-set timer on green to allow traffic sufficient time to get through the site. A sensor activates the light changes faster when there are shorter traffic queues. You shouldn’t have to wait more than three minutes at a red light and we continuously monitor the settings and adjust them according to changes in traffic conditions. Everyone deserves to get home safe and running red lights or speeding through the site puts other people on the road or working on site at risk. We understand projects like these can take time to complete, but ultimately, we are working to provide a safer road for everyone who travels throughout the Far North. Thanks for doing your part. Check out the video here.

If you have any concerns or queries about construction works, please call Mel Norris from Fulton Hogan on 0800 577 623.

Road users can also contact Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency at any time on 0800 44 44 49.

For more information on the SH10 Kaeo Bridge upgrade project, contact us at northlandproject@nzta.govt.nz

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