SH25/SH25A Thames-Coromandel

20 December 2023

State Highway 25A is open

State Highway 25A between Kōpū and Hikuai is now open, with traffic using the new 124 metre Taparahi Bridge for the first time this morning.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery, Jo Wilton is thanking the Coromandel community for their support of the project.

“The January storm events left us with a gaping hole in SH25A and the daunting task of reconnecting the Coromandel as soon as possible.

“The new bridge isn’t just the fastest solution, it’s the most resilient solution too and it’s a tremendous feeling to see it opened and unwrapped today, just in time for Christmas.”

In addition to the new bridge, road users can now enjoy a safer journey along the whole length of SH25A.

We’ve taken the opportunity with the closure of the road to invest an additional $30 million to ensure the entire corridor is safe and more resilient.

Our teams cleared slips, replaced 23 culverts, repaired/replaced 11.5km of side drains and strengthened seven bridges as well as additional slope stabilisation and resealing along the rest of SH25A.

Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Minister of Transport Simeon Brown and Mayor of Thames-Coromandel District Council Len Salt visited the site on Friday 15 December to see the new bridge first hand and meet the team who delivered it.

Mana whenua and our project team were on site before dawn on Monday 18 December to bless the new Taparahi Bridge ahead of it being reopened to traffic.

Taparahi Bridge - by the numbers

For those into detail, here’s some numbers about the new bridge:

• 124m long and 15m high 3-span composite design bridge with pre-cast concrete deck
• 100 + people working on and off site       
• Estimated cost approximately $43M (under the $50M estimate)
• 491 soil nails in the slip face to treat unstable soil slopes
• Piles bored at least 10m into the rock (for solid rock foundation); deepest pile 41 metres -twice the depth of the other piles (about 22 metres deep)
• Steel beams measuring 18, 29, and 30 metres long fabricated by Eastbridge Ltd in Napier factory
• 138 pre-cast concrete deck panels constructed by Fulton Hogan in Ranui
• 52 pre-cast side barriers fabricated in Tauranga by supplier Preco for the bridge deck
• Around 75 tonnes of cement injected into slip material to retain and stabilise the land
• 100 tonne piling rig 
•  2x100 tonnes cranes & a 250T Crane.
• Seven excavators, totalling 124T of earthmoving power on site
• 30T and two10T tracked articulated dump trucks.
• 19 machines on site including broom sweepers, rollers, and some smaller drilling rigs.

Taparahi Bridge – in moving pictures

Check out our latest videos about this project

• Hear from the team who built the bridge and locals celebrating the reopening of SH25A:  https://youtu.be/5nhxEpNt5Pw

• View the timelapse showing the complete rebuild:   https://youtu.be/DOfR6kS0bMY

• Drone footage of the completed bridge https://youtu.be/IviuvXWzEMs

Drive with care

Traffic is expected to be heavy throughout the holiday period and NZTA needs everyone to do their bit to keep things flowing smoothly.

The area around the bridge remains an active worksite with work underway until around April 2024. 

The traffic management at the new bridge is there to safeguard vehicles from parts of the site that aren’t complete and to allow workers safe access when they return after the holiday break.

Drivers should be aware there is a speed restriction and areas of new seal along the road. Please follow all posted speeds to protect your vehicle and the new work.

We understand there will be a lot of interest in the new bridge and changed landscape at the slip site, but it is not safe to stop and sightsee on or near the bridge. Road users need to keep moving.

Any closure of SH25A, whether it’s weather or crash related, has widespread impacts, so be tolerant, keep a safe following distance and be conscious of those travelling behind you.

More information

For more information on the SH25/SH25A Thames-Coromandel project, contact us at coromandel@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/thames-coromandel