The New Zealand Transport Agency says it has more than $1.6 million worth of bridge strengthening work under way in Central Otago and the Queenstown-Lakes district, to allow HPMV vehicles with loads up to 58 tonnes to use four bridges in the area.
The work is on the State highway 8 (SH8) Alexandra bridge, plus 3 bridges on State highway 6 (SH6) in the Kawarau Gorge between Cromwell and Queenstown.
Transport Agency project team manager Simon Underwood, says HPMV permitted trucks with loads capped anywhere between 45 tonnes and 58 tonnes are expected to use these bridges once this work is done.
“Fulton Hogan is carrying out the strengthening of the Alexandra Bridge at a cost of $770,000. All the work is taking place below the bridge from scaffolding, meaning minimal disruptions for bridge users, apart from some periodic traffic management,” he says.
Underwood says work on three bridges on SH6 in Kawarau Gorge is costing $840,000.
At the Roaring Meg Bridge, the work includes abutment protection work to ensure the bridge remains serviceable for all traffic.
At the Gentle Annie Bridges steel rods are being placed on the underside of the bridge to make the bridges strong enough to handle HPMV trucks.
At the Kawarau River (Victoria Bridge), extra steel plates are being added so it to can carry these high productivity trucks. All work is planned to be completed by 30 June 2015. Underwood says that as freight volumes grow, the availability of the high productivity freight routes to allow for the use of HPMVs will help reduce freight journeys by up to 20%.
Development of the high productivity freight network is the result of $45 million worth of investment through the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) 2012/15.
