Beams placed on Bay Link bridge

Beams have been placed on the first of Bay Link’s three bridges, spanning 29m over the East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) railway line.

Twelve beams were craned into position over three nights in February, completing the structure on which the bridge’s deck and pavement will be constructed. The reinforced concrete beams were manufactured in Te Puke and weigh approximately 55T each. They were installed by a single 450T crane following coordination with Tauranga Airport and KiwiRail about plane and train movements in the area.

The new bridge beams span the ECMT railway line, to the north of State Highway 29A (SH29A) between the Baypark roundabout and the Te Maunga intersection.

A second bridge at Te Maunga will cross State Highway 2 (SH2), while a third bridge will span the Bayfair roundabout.

Over coming months, the Mechanically Stabilised Earth walls and embankments at the southern end will continue to progress before construction of the second bridge across SH2 gets underway.

Once operational, the bridge at Te Maunga will carry all SH29A traffic to and from the SH2 interchange. Motorists will be separated from rail movements, improving safety and allowing traffic to flow more freely. The two bridges at Te Maunga are anticipated to open to motorists at the end of this year.

You can view time-lapse footage of the bridge beam installation here.

Mapping Bay Link

Working at ground level requires a birds-eye perspective which is achieved on Bay Link through drone flights and aerial photography.

In consultation with Tauranga Airport, the project team flies a drone over the site on a monthly basis. Information and photographs gathered during each flight are used for surveying purposes such as aerial mapping, project staging and determining topographical contours.

Aerial maps, like the one pictured, are used to assist with design and construction. Each map is made up of about 650 individual drone photographs stitched together into one, detailed image of the Bay Link site (which extends 1.7km in length).

Recent progress on Bay Link

After Christmas, work resumed onsite in early January. Since then, the following progress has been achieved:

Bayfair (northern end):

• The northbound lanes on SH2 near Concord Avenue have been split either side of a central work zone. This new work zone will enable construction of the final part of pavement in this area.
• Ground improvements have continued in the middle, and north, of the Bayfair roundabout. This operation involves two drilling rigs which auger piles, replacing the displaced soil with low-strength concrete as it is extracted. The purpose of the ground improvements is to prevent movement of the ground below the Bayfair bridge supports, due to liquefaction in the event of an earthquake.
• A vehicle entrance from SH2 to Bayfair Shopping Centre, closest to the Bayfair roundabout and opposite Golf 360, has been temporarily closed and is currently available as an exit only (as pictured below). This temporary closure, which is scheduled to be in place for about three months, is required to enable reconstruction of the entrance and to tie the pavement into existing road surfaces. Motorists travelling southbound on SH2 can enter the shopping centre carpark via the first vehicle entrance closest to Countdown or by turning left at the Bayfair roundabout and using either of the existing entrances on Girven Road. Further changes may be required to Bayfair Shopping Centre vehicle entrances in coming months and updated information will be provided as work progresses.
• Service relocation is underway on the SH2 verge outside Bayfair Shopping Centre to accommodate construction of the new underpass in the area.

Baypark / Te Maunga (southern end):

• The upgraded Eversham walkway is now open to the public, providing a new footpath and lighting in this pedestrian thoroughfare.
• The Mechanically Stabilised Earth walls and embankments have continued to progress. All of the permanent walls on the Baypark side of the SH29A/SH2 intersection are now at their full height.

Looking ahead

During Autumn, we will be:

• Completing the road building in the middle of SH2 near Concord Avenue.
• Progressing the construction of Bayfair Shopping Centre’s entrance closest to the Bayfair roundabout/opposite Golf 360.
• Beginning earthworks on the SH2 verge in front of Golf 360 in preparation for the construction of the western entrance to the new underpass.
• Finishing the last of the lattice piling ground improvements in and around the Bayfair roundabout.
• Starting construction of the bridge deck on top of the beams which were recently placed over the ECMT railway line.

More information

For more information on the Baypark to Bayfair Link upgrade project, contact us baylink@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/baylink