All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Second bridge now halfway to completion

Alanah Eriksen
By Alanah Eriksen, Alanah May Eriksen
Managing Editor - Live News·NZ Herald·
22 Feb, 2009 03:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The two bridges will take 50,000 vehicles a day. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times
The two bridges will take 50,000 vehicles a day. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

The two bridges will take 50,000 vehicles a day. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

KEY POINTS:



A new harbour bridge to combat traffic congestion between central Tauranga and Mt Maunganui has reached the halfway mark.

Traffic jams are a daily reality for commuters along the existing bridge - built in 1988 - which has an ideal capacity of 29,000 vehicles a day
but is used by 40,000, a quarter of which are heavy goods vehicles.

It is hoped the scheduled completion of the four-way expressway in autumn next year will ease traffic flows between the two sides of the harbour and improve access for Tauranga's busy port.

The harbour link involves building a duplicate bridge over the main Stella Passage harbour channel alongside the existing two-lane harbour bridge, and a viaduct to divert vehicles going to Auckland and Hamilton away from roads into Tauranga's CBD.

The viaduct will also pass over a railway line, and the harbour bridge will include a cycling and pedestrian lane separated from vehicle lanes by a concrete barrier.

Traffic will be shifted on to the new bridge in about eight months so the old one can be upgraded.

A 50m-long, duplicate aerodrome bridge crossing will be built over the secondary channel.

Work on the bridge and viaduct, being built by Fletcher Construction, started in 2007.

Transport Agency regional director Harry Wilson said 15 of 23 bridge segments had been completed. That is more than 250m of its 466m length.

Piling for the bridge should be finished at the end of March, and the bridge should touch down on the Mount causeway in May.

The engineering team includes four people who worked on Tauranga's existing harbour bridge. Project manager Kevin Reid says their knowledge is invaluable because of the engineering challenges presented by the area's poor ground quality.

Piles are driven up to 65m below the harbour floor and 30-40m down on land - because of the silty soil.

The harbour link project was initially going to be funded half by the Government and half by tolls, but is now being completed without tolls.

COMBATING THE TRAFFIC JAMS

* The link is the Bay of Plenty's largest roading project.
* Construction started in 2007 and is scheduled for completion next year.
* During construction, 36,000cu m of concrete will be poured - the equivalent of 6000 truckloads.
* A total of 184 concrete beams up to 37m long and weighing up to 84 tonnes will act as supports.
* The viaduct structure is being built to withstand a one-in-1000-year earthquake and uses 750km of "stress strand" metal cable for reinforcement of the beams.
* The project employs 120-150 engineers and construction workers at any one time.
* The existing harbour bridge, finished in 1988, has an ideal capacity of 29,000 vehicles a day but is used by 40,000, a quarter of which are heavy goods vehicles.
* Together, the existing bridge and the new bridge will have a capacity of 50,000 vehicles.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Constantly inspired by her passion': Cancer campaigner Nyree Smith dies after eight-year battle

09 Jun 05:33 AM
New ZealandUpdated

Court martial for NZ soldier accused of covertly filming women during sex

09 Jun 05:15 AM
New Zealand

Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

09 Jun 05:03 AM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Court martial for NZ soldier accused of covertly filming women during sex
New Zealand

Court martial for NZ soldier accused of covertly filming women during sex

09 Jun 05:15 AM
Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025
Waikato Herald

Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

09 Jun 05:03 AM
Boy racers targeted in small town NZ: Cops 'surprised' 95% of 161 vehicles had faults
New Zealand

Boy racers targeted in small town NZ: Cops 'surprised' 95% of 161 vehicles had faults

09 Jun 04:46 AM
Sam Carter wins Hawke's Bay Young Grower title
The Country

Sam Carter wins Hawke's Bay Young Grower title

09 Jun 04:17 AM
Snow-like sighting creates a flurry as temperatures plummet
Northern Advocate

Snow-like sighting creates a flurry as temperatures plummet

09 Jun 04:00 AM

Latest from New Zealand

'Constantly inspired by her passion': Cancer campaigner Nyree Smith dies after eight-year battle

'Constantly inspired by her passion': Cancer campaigner Nyree Smith dies after eight-year battle

09 Jun 05:33 AM

'An ambassador, advocate, incredible fundraiser and friend.'

Court martial for NZ soldier accused of covertly filming women during sex

Court martial for NZ soldier accused of covertly filming women during sex

09 Jun 05:15 AM
Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

Over 1200 exhibitions to open at Fieldays 2025

09 Jun 05:03 AM
Boy racers targeted in small town NZ: Cops 'surprised' 33% of cars stopped were not roadworthy

Boy racers targeted in small town NZ: Cops 'surprised' 33% of cars stopped were not roadworthy

09 Jun 04:46 AM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search