The first bridge deck panels were lifted into place over the past weekend, ahead of the wet and windy weather which lashed the Coromandel Peninsula on Sunday and Monday.
The team were able to lift and install 14 deck panels before weather conditions meant crane operations had to stop.
Three quarters of the concrete pre-cast deck panels and 16 of the pre-cast barriers are now on site waiting to be installed, with the remaining panels and barriers continuing to be fabricated off site.
Last week the team finished the bracing and pier connection work on the girders (beams) along the length of the bridge.
Abutment bearings were also installed last week. These bearings transfer the load from the bridge girders down into the concrete substructure. They also allow the steel girders to move as they expand and contract when subjected to changes in temperature.
Settlement slabs were poured at both abutments. These concrete slabs are constructed full width across the roadway and extend out from the abutments to accommodate and smooth out any settlement that occurs in the road approach to the bridge. The goal is to avoid “bumps’ as you cross over onto the bridge.
Soil nailing across the slip face continues with the team using a man-cage mounted on a drilling rig.
The team has almost completed earthworks at the eastern approach to the bridge, which will allow us to start installing new culverts and side drains this week.
