Heat leaves award-winning lifting bridge stuck

Heat prevented the Te Matau O Pohe bridge from closing after allowing a boat to pass through on Saturday. Photo / Supplied

When the heat was on Whangarei's award-winning bridge it failed to perform.

A glitch, sparked by hot temperatures, on Te Matau O Pohe bridge, linking Riverside Drive to Port Rd, meant the mid-section couldn't close after allowing a yacht to pass through about 6pm on Saturday. It was unable to close for two hours forcing traffic to divert.

The lifting bascule was finally lowered after temperatures dropped and before the Whangarei Christmas Festival, attended by thousands, finished at nearby Toll Stadium.

Although the official temperature recorded by MetService at Whangarei Airport on Saturday was 28.6C, unofficial readings were up to 32C around the city.

The $32 million bridge with the unique lifting bascule was one of three nationwide projects to win gold at the 50th annual NZ Innovate awards this year, organised by the Association of Consulting and Engineering Professionals of New Zealand.

It is New Zealand's second bridge with a lifting mid-section to allow boats to pass underneath.

Whangarei District Council roading manager Jeff Devine said there would be an investigation today to determine why heat was affecting the bridge.

"We've got sensors and stuff on the bridge, it's a unique structure but we're just not sure what the heat is affecting," he said.

Mr Devine said similar problems have been attended to in the past which seemed to occur on particularly hot days.

Whangarei lab technician Cheryl Lazarus was on her way to the Christmas festival with a friend when she got stuck in traffic about 100m from the bridge on Dave Culham Drive.

"There was a cone at the roundabout on Riverside Rd but no sign saying the bridge was closed but it possibly just happened when we got there," she said.

"We sat there for two to three minutes not knowing what was happening. I initially thought the bridge was closed because of the festival but later found out it was due to heat."

Ms Lazarus said her friend who was driving turned around and went through the Town Basin to the stadium.

News of the malfunctioning bridge attracted more than 120 comments on the Northland Weather Updates Facebook page.

Facebook user Karl Morgan said it was "bloody embarrassing" for Whangarei when an award-winning bridge could not be used all the time.

Amelia Herbert replied: "That's why it's the only one here, because they don't work in heat over 26C. Imagine January when most days hit at least that."