Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway construction hits significant milestones

The Eco-Viaduct Bridge awaiting the installation of the first beam.

Grant Kauri is Owner Interface Manager for Waka Kotahi

Comment:

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway team has moved more than 5 million cubic metres of earth since the start of construction in January 2021.

This important milestone puts the project close to completing the total earthworks target of six million cubic metres this year.

Three of the six structures across the project have been completed, and good progress is being made on the remaining three. Temporary works are in place on top of pier 1 of the Parahaki Bridge, which spans the Manawatū River – this will support the first section of the super-structure, which is part of the bridge that the road will be built on. The pier 2 column is on track to be completed this month, with the pier 3′s column pour also getting under way in the coming days. We also expect to see the form traveller, a system that will allow the superstructure to be constructed, attached to pier 1 mid-year.

The team is also preparing for the first delivery of concrete beams - being made in Napier - for the Eco Viaduct Bridge this month. The first beam is 47 metres long and 4.8m wide. It will be delivered overnight to avoid major disruptions to traffic on Saddle Rd. Temporary platforms are in place on several piers, which will enable the beams to be lifted into place upon arrival. Eleven of the bridge’s 12 columns are now completed.

Further up the hill at Fill 9 – the largest fill on the project – the highway alignment is now at subgrade, which means it’s ready for pavement, which will begin next month.

The team is busy preparing new sites for landscape planting, while also controlling pests. About 450,000 native plants are expected to be planted this year, with 300,000 of these along the highway itself. The third landscaping season is expected to start next month.

Golf tournament raises $11,000 for charity

The Te Ahu a Turanga team was involved in the Ambrose Golf Tournament fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House at the Pahiatua Golf Club this month, which raised more than $11,000 for the charity.

A sold-out field of three-person teams played 18 holes at the course on Saturday, March 11.