With the easing of COVID-19 Alert Level restrictions on crowd gatherings, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is delighted to invite people to an information day for the Old Māngere Bridge Replacement project.

The information day will be a chance for people to come and meet the team behind the bridge build and learn more about the new walking, cycling and fishing bridge over the Manukau Harbour. It will be held on Saturday, 31 October from 9:30AM - 1:00PM at the Waterfront Reserve in Māngere Bridge.

“This will be a great opportunity to see close up what the team is doing. Over the winter months, the team has continued to work safely and productively. They are very proud of the progress they are making and will be on site to explain what they’re doing and answer any questions,” says Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Project Delivery Andrew Thackwray.

There will also be a sausage sizzle and activities to entertain children.

“Visitors to the site will be able to see and walk on the temporary staging, which is like a temporary road in the harbour. The temporary staging allows cranes to move out over the water alongside where the new bridge is under construction.”

“The information day will also provide a unique opportunity for a limited number of people to check out the big cofferdams, which have been created in the harbour to build the bridge piers.”

A cofferdam is a watertight box made from joined-up steel plates or ‘sheet piles’ driven up to 20m below the seabed and rising above the water level at high tide.

In one of the biggest cofferdams, which is 25m x 12.5m, the team had to pump out 1.4 million litres of water to create a dry working space. A crane lowered a digger into the cofferdam to dig down through 2.5m of mud to reach the seabed. The team then had to remove 1100 cubic metres of mud, or enough to fill 187 trucks. A concrete floor was then poured, which will be the foundation of construction of the first pier.

“The cofferdams and the temporary staging will only be in place for as long as they’re needed to construct the bridge, so this is a one-off chance for some people to come and see them up close and understand what they’re for.”

Tickets to the site tour will be limited and subject to health and safety requirements. This part of the information day may be cancelled should unfavourable weather occur or for reasons outside of Waka Kotahi’s control.

During COVID-19, it is a priority of Waka Kotahi and our construction partner McConnell Dowell to ensure the health and safety of the community and our people. Even though Auckland has moved to Alert Level 1, the team is continuing with COVID-19 safety initiatives like maintaining hygiene and cleaning protocols within the work site.

The new bridge will be completed in 2022 and restore the vital walking, cycling and fishing connection to the Māngere Bridge and Onehunga communities.

As well as connecting to Auckland’s wider cycling network, the new bridge will provide increased clearance underneath and space between the piers for waka, canoes and small watercrafts to travel into the Māngere Inlet.

For more on the project, go to https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/old-mangere-bridge-replacement-project

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