First look at Hamilton's newest bridge over the Waikato River

Hamilton's newest bridge will have a simple Y shaped structural design to limit construction costs. Image / Hamilton City Council

Hamilton's newest bridge is one step closer to connecting the city to the developing Peacocke neighbourhood, with key design principles outlined to Hamilton mayor Andrew King and councillors this week.

The new bridge will be south of the Hamilton Gardens, and be an essential gateway for Peacocke - Hamilton's next major growth area.

The bridge's basic form will be a structural steel deck with a Y-shaped central pier, one of four options and the option which provided the best balance between construction costs and ongoing maintenance costs.

The bridge will not only provide access for vehicles, pedestrians and people on bikes, it will also provide a crossing for strategic services such as water and wastewater.

The next stage of the bridge development is to confirm the design principles, which will be considered at the council's Growth and Infrastructure Committee on June 18.

The proposed principles are:

Experience: providing opportunities for the bridge to add to the experience of Hamilton, with opportunities for places to pause, lookout areas and catering for all transport modes.

Flexibility: ensuring lane layout can be adjusted to respond to usage requirements or future changes in the types of vehicles used.

Kaitiaki: guardianship and protection for cultural and environmental considerations, including managing stormwater runoff to the river, recognising and celebrating the cultural history of the area and ensuring design and construction of the bridge considers plants, animal and aquatic life, particularly the long-tailed bat.

Connection: ensuring the design caters for current and projected connections for all types of transport, including public transport, private vehicles, bikes and pedestrians and potential river path and recreational connections.

Memorable: a design which is distinctive and provides a visual identification for the city as a river gateway and gateway to the Peacocke growth area.

The design work to date has broad support from stakeholders including iwi through the Tangata Whenua Working Group and, subject to approval, the project will move to a detailed design phase before a tender process and construction award inside 18 months.