Second new Matakohe Bridge in Northland now open

Matakohe resident Keith Stutt was first to drive across the second new bridge at Matakohe when it opened.

Northland's newest bridge has opened to traffic at Matakohe on State Highway 12.

In a major milestone for the Matakohe Bridges project, which is run by the New Zealand Transport Agency, the larger of the two bridges at Matakohe opened to one-way traffic on Saturday morning.

Local resident Keith Stutt, who lives close to the bridge, made sure he was first in the queue to cross the new bridge.

"It's a vast improvement. It's good for us local residents because the road is going to be a lot better," Stutt said.

"It will be lower so there will be less noise from trucks using their air brakes on the way down and grinding their way up the hill past the house."

The two-lane Te Piringa Tahi Bridge – which means "bringing together as one" – is 191 metres long and stands 15 metres above the Matakohe River.

It has six spans, each made up of five concrete supertee beams, and is Northland's longest supertee bridge. It replaces the old one-lane Hardies Bridge.

Saturday's opening follows the opening in February of the two-lane bridge that replaced
the nearby Anderson Bridge. Te Ao Marama Hou, which effectively translates to "moving from the past into the future", spans Parerau Stream and is 54.8m long.

The two new bridges and 2.5km of road realignment will remove tight curves and short straights to improve safety on this section of the Twin Coast Discovery Route.

"Opening Te Piringa Tahi to traffic is the biggest milestone of the project and we're very proud to have reached this stage," the Transport Agency's acting senior project delivery manager Karen Boyt said.

"We ask motorists to keep an eye out for changes to the traffic layout while work continues. There will be stop/go traffic management and temporary speed limits in place to help protect the road and keep our workers safe," Boyt said.

Both bridges will have their top seal laid before the end of the month and the full length of the new road will be open to vehicles by May.

Landscaping and other minor works will continue through the 2019 winter. The scheme is expected to cost $26.6 million.

NZTA said replacing the two bridges at Matakohe will improve safety for all road users. The narrow width of the existing bridges caused delays during the busy visitor season, which were linked to driver frustration and risk-taking behaviour by motorists.

There were 15 reported crashes on or near the bridges between 2005 and 2014.

The improvements include a realignment of the state highway to remove the tight bends approaching the bridges. A new and improved intersection for the Matakohe Township and the iconic Kauri Museum will be built, and cycling connections will be provided for the local community and visitors travelling along the Twin Coast Discovery route.

For more on the Matakohe Bridges replacement project, go to www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/connecting-northland/matakohe-bridges/