Problems with the design of two new bridges under construction on the Auckland Northern Corridor have been discovered by the Transport Agency. The issues are said to be partly due to efforts to try to speed up construction after shutdowns meant the $700 million construction project was behind schedule. The design of the Rosedale Busway Bridge is currently under review, it’s believed that changes to its abutment pushed the bridge out of alignment. The changes were made in order to speed up the project.
Solutions to fix the issues are now being explored. In a separate review it was discovered that the beams on the Albany Busway Bridge were built with the incorrect pre-camber which are designed to take the weight of the concrete and traffic of the bridge. The way that the concrete was poured around the bridge was changes; checks of the design have confirmed that there are no quality issues with the bridge. It has been said that the costs have not risen for the project as a result of the reviews. The Auckland reviews come after other review of Bridges in Wellsford also made claims of design deficiencies. The reviews of the Wellsford bridges found that there may be potential safety issues but it was later shown that this would not be the case and that reworking of the bridges would not be required.
However following the findings on the Rosedale bridge reviewers are now looking into how they can avoid similar oversights and errors in the future to avoid problems from the beginning. Bridge engineers and oversight agencies in New Zealand are under pressure to ensure the safety of new construction after issues have popped up in recent years with road and bridge construction that could pose a threat to the safety of commuters.
