News
The 1.5m `wing extension' due to be attached to the south western edge of the new northbound bridge is shown in light grey on the right of the picture below. It will be added in stages as the gantry moves south over the coming months.
The new northbound bridge could not be built to its full width while the old northbound bridge was still in use because the two structures would have overlapped. When finished, the structure will be a solid platform 30m wide, and the new northbound lanes will be achieve their full width.
The 1.5m 'wing extension'. (JPG, 31KB)
Project update
The opening of the new northbound bridge is the third stage of works as the viaduct is being entirely replaced in four stages of construction and deconstruction. Stage 1 has seen the first half of the new viaduct built immediately adjacent to the old southbound lanes - and southbound traffic is now travelling across this new structure. While northbound traffic continued to use the old structure, the old southbound lanes were removed through stage 2 of the project to make way for the new northbound lanes, which have been built in the vacated space (Stage 3). Now that northbound traffic has been moved onto the new northbound structure, the old northbound lanes will be removed (Stage 4), to ultimately reveal a brand new Newmarket Viaduct, standing approximately 15 metres to the north-east of where the original structure has stood for the last 50 years.
The new viaduct addresses a number of seismic, safety and environmental limitations that were inherent in the old structure, creating a more secure life-line to Auckland’s south and imposing less of a footprint on the Newmarket community beneath.
