Bridge work nears completion

The wait for a new bridge in School Road, Wellsford, is almost over.

Late last month, seven concrete planks, each weighing 24 tonnes, were carefully lowered into place by two giant cranes, closing the gap over the stream in the final stages of construction.

Built to highway specifications, the new two-lane Pearmans Bridge will cope with heavier loads than its well-worn predecessor, which was still in use, but shifted to one side during the building process. It will be demolished on completion of the new bridge.
Once the planks were in place, they were secured with metal rods and concreted into the curtain wall atop the buttress supports. Next step was to put up hand rails and finish the approaches.

Supervising the operation was contracts manager Robert White, of Gideon Contractors, Silverdale, says there is not much room for error.
“It’s something of a relief when it all comes together.”

He has built bridges before, but none this big.

The project cost $370,000 and will be completed ‘under budget’.
Rodney’s Cr Grahame Powell said he was pleased the project would be finished before the recession possibly impacted on Council spending.

“It’s a well used road, undergoing a much-needed upgrade. Bridges don’t get replaced very often as they are built to last – it’s a once-in-a-hundred year occasion.”

Andy Brackebush, John Gideon and Robert White oversee the positioning of the concrete planks.