Viaduct strengthening work wins award

Engineering work toward painting and strengthening the Makatote Viaduct has won an Award for Structural Heritage at a ceremony in London.

The work, by Opus International Consultants, was one of 45 projects worldwide to be shortlisted in The Institution of Structural Engineers' annual Structural Awards. The awards have 14 categories.

Judges commented on the viaduct project's "elegant, non-intrusive detailling". That included hiding new tension rods behind existing members.

The result maintained the heritage vaues of the structure while enabling it to carry bigger loads.

The Makatote Viaduct was opened to train traffic in 1908. A project to strengthen it began in 2014 and finished late last year. It has cost $13 million.