News & Media Releases

Harbour Link Stage 2 Underway

4 July 2007

The first signs of construction on the second stage of Transit New Zealand's Harbour Link project will be visible this week.

Removal of buildings within the project boundaries has already begun and between now and August the remaining buildings in the path of the project will be removed.

Transit New Zealand Project Manager Kevin Reid said today that Transit was now entering the construction phase of the project.

"It will be an exciting and challenging time for the team to meet our target of an early 2010 completion. We all look forward to working with the local community to ensure we deliver this project with minimal disruption to people's lives."

Construction will begin on the temporary access platforms for both the Chapel Street eastbound off-ramp and the new Harbour Bridge. The access platform for the off-ramp will involve large mats being laid on the edge of the Waikaraeo Estuary below the old Bob Clarkson site. This will allow rigs, cranes and other construction machinery to access the location of the new piles on which the bridge is to be built.

Traffic lanes at the Chapel St end of Takitimu Dr will need to be moved over to accommodate the work, and a temporary speed limit will be imposed while the work is going on. The off-ramp bridge will be constructed using pre-cast beams placed by crane.

The beams will be constructed at a yard located next to the railways off Mirrielees Rd. Beam production will begin in October 2007 with the first beams ready to be placed soon after.

The Harbour Bridge access platform will be built in two stages because of the need to maintain a navigation channel through Stella Passage. The first stage starts at the Tauranga abutment and will extend to just over half way across the channel. The second stage, built from the Mount Maunganui side, will not be constructed until about May 2008. In addition to the staging being constructed, a large shed will be built on the Tauranga abutment.

The new bridge is to be built by gradually pushing sections out across the harbour. These sections will be manufactured within this shed with all the hydraulics to push out the sections housed within the building.

Before work begins, a detailed structural inspection to check the condition of the existing bridge will be undertaken during July. This work will entail inspectors looking at every part of the bridge, inside and out, recording the existing condition. Access to the underside will be gained from specialist plant, which will require night-time lane closures for two weeks from about 8pm to 6am, Sunday to Thursday nights.

Meanwhile, work is continuing on Stage 1 of the project - the four-laning of Hewletts Rd - and is due for completion early September 2007.

The project has a 24 hour information phone number - 0800 THL INFO - 0800 845 463.

NEWS MEDIA: For further information, contact:
Kevin Reid
Transit's Harbour Link Project Manager
Ph 07 927 6008 or 021 2856512

www.smarttransport.org.nz

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