Hatea River Crossing

Keep up to date with progress on construction of the new crossing through the web cam image below. There is a time delay of two hours before it appears on this page, and the page is refreshed every 15 minutes.

The aim of the project

Whangarei's second harbour bridge between Pohe Island and Port Road is part of a package to address congestion in the city.

When completed, it will provide an alternative option for traffic travelling from Onerahi  to the south of the city and ease congestion at Victoria Bridge and the Dent Street intersection.

The new bridge and associated walkways and cycleways will complete a circuit from the Town Basin, along Riverside Drive, over to Port Road and back to the Town Basin. 

What the project involves

• a 1260 metre long new arterial road joining Riverside Drive to Port Road via the old Pohe Island Landfill
• a new 265 metre long bridge crossing the Hatea River with a 25 metre long central lifting span to allow yachts to pass.  The bridge will have a clear height of 7.5 metres above high water at the central span allowing most vessels to pass underneath without the lifting bridge being raised
• new  roundabouts at the connections with Riverside Drive and Port Road
• upgrading of the intersection between Okara Drive and Port Road near Cobham Oval Cricket Ground to a two-lane roundabout
• a shared walking and cycle path from Riverside Drive to Port Road
• upgrading of Port Road from Okara Drive to the Lower Hatea connection.

Project status

• the project is programmed for completion in June 2013
• the necessary resource consents have been obtained
• the contract has been awarded to the Transfield/ McConnell Dowell Joint Venture
• the project was officially started by Mayor Morris Cutforth on 28 November 2011
• construction is well underway with works being undertaken on Pohe Island for the formation of the new road and Riverside Drive roundabout. Works are also underway for the construction of the roundabouts at Okara Drive and Port Road
• the bridge construction has started with the installation of a temporary jetty on the Pohe Island side of the river. The first bridge piles for the new bridge were installed on 16 March 2012 and the bridge will be progressively constructed over a 10 month period.

Design

Select from the links below to view photographic impressions and diagrams of the proposed bridge together with the presentation that was made to the project Steering Committee. Each individual document opens in a new window.

Photographic impressions of final design [491kb]
Aerial overlays [993kb]
Structural diagrams [352kb]
Presentation to the Steering Committee Part 1: Process to date [728kb]
Presentation to the Steering Committee Part 2: Design [871kb]