Bridging the gap
Maunu-Porowini Bridge Widening

United Civil was asked to rectify a pinch point on a busy Whangarei city bridge that delayed left turning traffic from exiting the congested Porowini Avenue onto Maunu Road.

United Civil were contracted to widen the bridge, allowing for the stacking of left-turning traffic and reduced queuing delays and congestion.  The works also included substantial amounts of underground service relocation along with widening of the intersection and its approaches.

Technology was key to working efficiently and safely. Our GPS recorded the position of all the utility ducts during installation, while the piles were bottom driven their capacity checked with a pile driving analysis (PDA). But there was also plenty of demand for more traditional skill-sets including civil works, carpentry and structural steel tying.

The most challenging aspect of this $2m project was to manage traffic, pedestrians and access to local businesses while simultaneously undertaking major civil works in a confined site.  As always on a busy roading project, good traffic management is critical. Our TMP included dedicated personnel; variable message boards to update road users, letter drops to affected stakeholders, temporary pedestrian footpaths, plus secure barriers to separate the work site from the public.

KEY FEATURES INCLUDED:

• installing 1800 metres of utility ducts and pipework
• laid 500 tonne of structural asphaltic concrete and 1000m² of asphaltic concrete wearing course
• installation of six bottom driven, reinforced concrete piles to 14 metres deep
• placing ten 20 metre long concrete bridge beams
• transverse and longitudinal post-tensioning of both the existing and new bridge beams