
MCGRATHS BRIDGE REPLACEMENT - ARTHURS PASS


DURATION
Jan 2024 – Current
CLIENT
NZTA
CONSULTANT/DESIGNER
WSP
VALUE
N/A

Hunter Civil had replaced the existing McGrath Creek Bridge on State Highway 73. The old bridge had been only wide enough to accommodate a single traffic lane and was located on a sharp bend with some challenging geometry, which had made the old bridge difficult to navigate.
The construction of the bridge's new super structure had included extending the existing concrete abutments. The team had run into geotechnical challenges during construction, our team had worked quickly with WSP to develop an alternate abutment design which had included a combination of vertical micro piles to the underlying bedrock, along with some horizontal drilled anchors.
The old steel beam and timber deck had been replaced with nine double hollow core prestressed concrete beams. The individual beams had been tied together with transverse, post tensioned steel tendons.
The pavement had been upgraded on either side of the new bridge with the approaches being reshaped to make the new bridge easier to navigate. The new bridge and approaches had also been fitted with upgraded guardrail.
The most challenging part of this project had been the staging of the works, to ensure that a single lane had been maintained at all times, as this had been only one of three critical link roads connecting the East and West Coasts.