Whitiora Bridge is a
prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially prestressed (Compression (physics), compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-t ...
box girder bridge
A box girder bridge, or box section bridge, is a bridge in which the main beam (structure), beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite ma ...
in
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, spanning the
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...
. It cost $2.35m, or $3.4m including the approach roads, and was opened at the start of a weekend of Centennial celebrations, on 11 February 1978, by representatives of Māori, Government and City,
,
Venn Young
Venn Spearman Young (16 February 1929 – 14 January 1993) was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the National Party, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the government of Robert Muldoon. He is known for his failed attempt to legali ...
and
Ross Jansen
Sir Ross Malcolm Jansen (6 September 1932 – 15 December 2010) was a New Zealand local-body politician. He served as mayor of Hamilton from 1977 to 1989. He was an expert in local government, held a variety of positions, was academically ackn ...
.
Whitiora Bridge was also a name once used for the Victoria St bridge over the Waitawhiriwhiri Stream, just to the north in
Whitiora
Whitiora is a suburb in central Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton in New Zealand. The suburb is home to Waikato Stadium, formerly ''Rugby Park''. It is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton with a total capacity of 25,800. The st ...
.
A 1931 study looked at four possible bridges between the current Whitiora and Claudelands bridges, ranging in length from to . The plans were shelved in 1933 when it was agreed to contribute 25% of the Fairfield Bridge cost.
The 1969 Hamilton Transportation Study proposed the bridge, which was designed by Murray North Partners (who also designed
Pukete sewer bridge and
Rangiriri bridge) and built by Rope Construction Ltd
(who also built
Rakaia Bridge
The Rakaia Bridge is New Zealand's longest road bridge and crosses the Rakaia River, one of Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury's large braided rivers. The present bridge was opened in 1939 and replaced an earlier combined road and rail bridge f ...
). It is on
Taupō
Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...
pumice
Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...
alluvium
Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
and carries Boundary Rd at a 25 degree skew over the river and River Rd. At , that makes it significantly longer than Claudelands, or Fairfield, but the alignment minimised tree damage and lined up with a new extension of Boundary Rd from Mill St/Ulster St. The east end of Boundary Rd was shown on the 1879 map of Claudelands, In 1915 there was a complaint about its lack of drainage and, in 1933, Jesmond Park was laid out at its river end, later crossed by the bridge.
The bridge rests on four diameter octagonal
pier
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
s, sunk below the river, which are slightly narrower than the 5 spans of box girders.
Sliding hinge joints in the landward spans give earthquake protection.
Hydraulic shock transmission at the
expansion joint
A expansion joint, or movement joint, is an assembly designed to hold parts together while safely absorbing temperature-induced expansion and contraction of building materials. They are commonly found between sections of buildings, bridges, s ...
s will keep the sections of the bridge together in an earthquake.
Waikato complained in 2014, after the 2 traffic lanes, cycle tracks and footpath were converted to 3 traffic lanes and a footpath in 2006.
The City's 1972 design brief, required up to 4 traffic lanes.
The bridge carries about 200 cyclists a day and a clip-on cycle lane has been considered,
with $1m budgeted for 2028.
During its design and construction the bridge was known as the Boundary Road Bridge and is still often referred to as such. 'Whitiora' was selected from a public suggestion, derived from 'Whiti', the call of the
pipiwharauroa, and 'ora', meaning life, or health.
Miropiko pā beside River Rd, just south of the bridge, is the best preserved of a number of Hamilton pā sites.
References
External links
1976 photo of construction1980s photo
Google Street View from bridge
{{Waikato
Bridges over the Waikato River
Bridges in Hamilton, New Zealand