Swing bridge years in planning, weeks in building

Rotary River Pathways Trust chairman Roy Fraser, right, with Abseil Access supervisor Michael Thom, who says his company's part in building the 100m-long bridge over the Tukituki in CHB will be all but complete by this week.

It's taken three years of planning, designing and fundraising, but a 100m-long swing bridge over the Tukituki River to link the cycle trials in Waipukurau and Waipawa in Central Hawke's Bay is "as good as built" after just a few weeks.

Wellington-based company Abseil Access only started work on the $225,000 bridge - which will link the limesand trails between Mt Herbert Rd in Waipukurau and Tapairu Rd in Waipawa - the week heading into Labour Weekend.

And though the Rotary River Pathways Trust still needs to oversee the building of new approaches and extend the cycle trails leading to the bridge, Abseil Access supervisor Matt Thom said his workers should be finished by the end of this week, with just a few loose ends remaining.

It took less than a day for Abseil Access to hang the posts and cables for the bridge, which will link the cycle trails in Waipukurau and Waipawa.

"There's still the load test to do, and the bridge still has to have its official opening, but we will be damn-near finished by then," he said.

The 100m-long bridge would be 1.2m wide and have a 500mm-upwards camber when complete, he said.

Six cubic metres of concrete had been used on each side of the river to secure the bridge's anchor cables, and a further 4 cu m used for each set of foundations, which also consisted of large piles drilled down to the point of "refusal".

"So if there's a flood or anything, the bridge will stay in place," he said.

Mr Thom said the CHB bridge was not only sturdy, but sizeable.

"It's the longest one I've built," he said.

"Typically, 50-60m is quite a normal size for these types of structures and instead of the decking terminating at the posts it's got fly-through sections, so I think it's going to look pretty good."'

Rotary River Pathways Trust chairman Roy Fraser said Abseil Access had been very helpful and patient since the design phase of the project.

"Ever since the day we first designed the bridge three years ago, they've held their price, so we are really pleased with their efforts. And they're good boys, they are working seven days a week. It's amazing what they have achieved. The bridge is as good as built," Mr Fraser said last week.

The next step would be to build the approaches to the bridge and extend the cycle trails so that the whole project came together at the same time.

"Higgins came to us and offered to help with the earthworks on the Waipukurau side and they will be creating 1.5km of track in the river berm leading to the bridge.

"At the same time the trails along Tapairu Rd in Waipawa will be extended, so hopefully when the bridge is complete, we will have a great network of linked trails in place," Mr Fraser said.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council has assumed ownership of the bridge, a move needed for the trust to get funding applications over the line.

The bridge is vital cog in the plan to market CHB as a cycling destination and entice visitors on their way to use the cycle trials in Napier and Hastings to also stop in Waipukurau and Waipawa.

It will create a loop between the CHB towns by linking the 12km of limesand pathways the trust had constructed on both sides of the river, which also extend to Gum Tree Farm Mountain Bike Park which is being developed on more regional council-owned land at the end of Mt Herbert Rd.

Mr Fraser said his trust was in the process of finalising the plaques to recognise those who had donated $250 to the trust's "Buy a Bit of the Bridge" fundraising campaign, and time was running out for people who wished to contribute if they wanted their names recorded.

He said the trust was still looking for donations to build better-quality approaches to the bridge, which was looking on track for an official opening in early December.

Email frasertrust@outlook.com for a donation form.