: A piece of the Acrow bridge is installed over Mangati Stream.
A giant Meccano set has been delivered to the banks of the Mangati Stream.
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi delivered the new prefabricated Acrow steel bridge in pieces on Tuesday, nearly a month after the Valentine’s Day flood destroyed Mangati Bridge south of Pirongia.
Workers made quick progress setting up the site for the single-lane temporary bridge for assembly and installation to begin.
Pieces of Mangati Stream’s new Acrow bridge arrived on site on Tuesday, like a giant Meccano set waiting to be constructed,
The new bridge is made of steel and bolted together in sections and is stronger, wider, and longer than the Bailey bridges used after Cyclone Gabrielle.
The state highway has been closed for a month and with traffic diverted traffic through Te Awamutu and Ōtorohanga, takings in Pirongia shops have dropped by more than 66 per cent in many cases.
Downer Construction is on track to finish the installation of the Acrow bridge by the middle of the month.
The bridge will have a 50-tonne maximum weight, and we’ll use traffic lights or sensors to control traffic across the bridge.
Workers prepare the Mangati Stream site for a new bridge.
