News & Media Releases

Piling in Harbour Recommences for Harbour Link

Tauranga Office

May 13, 2008

Twenty years after the first Harbour Bridge was opened, piling is again underway in Tauranga Harbour to construct a second bridge for Transit New Zealand's Harbour Link Project.

Transit project manager Kevin Reid said the first of 11 piles was drilled in the harbour last week, representing a major milestone for the project. The pile reaches 54 metres from the top of the jetty into the sea bed, and is 2.3 metres in diameter. A total of 42 truck loads of concrete (210m3) were required for the pile, which took six and a half hours to pour. The pile reinforcing cage, which weighs about 36 tonnes, took five days to install, Mr Reid said.

Steel casings, 20 metres long and weighing 18 tonnes are being placed in the harbour to prepare for drilling of the remaining 10 piles, some of which will be 65 metres deep.

Drilling rigs, cranes and trucks access the pile locations from finger piers on 250 metres of temporary staging in the harbour. When the piles on the Tauranga side are completed, the platform will be removed and rebuilt on the Mount side to prepare for construction of the remaining piles.

Once Stage 2 of the Harbour Link project is completed a 525 metre viaduct with on and off ramps will connect with the 460 metre long new Harbour Bridge. On the Mount Maunganui side, the road along the causeway will be four-laned and a second Aerodrome Bridge built.

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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