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Last Modified: 3 August 2010

Projects

Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme

Keeping you informed ...

The replacement of the Akatarawa Bridges B1/4, B1/5 and B1/6 has been included as projects in the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) over the next ten years.

The existing timber truss bridges were constructed in the 1930’s and have reached the end of their economic life. The maintenance of the existing bridges has become a significant annual cost to council.

The replacement of the first bridge (B1/4) was included in the Annual Plan for the 2009/2010 financial year.

Akatarawa Road - Wooden truss bridge

As part of their review of capital works spending New Zealand Transport Agency asked if the construction date for bridges B1/5 and B1/6 could be brought forward.

Council subsequently approved their share of the additional funding allowing the replacement of bridges B1/5 and B1/6 to be carried out earlier than expected.

This means that all three bridges are expected to be replaced by the end of the 2010/11 financial year, i.e. June 2011.

Upper Hutt City Council has appointed engineering consultants Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner Ltd (Beca) to design the new bridges.

For more information please contact the councils' Technical Support Unit on (04) 527-2152 or email us if you would like to be notified of future updates via email.

Updates
Scroll down or click on a link below to view updates on the Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme.

Thursday 17 June 2010

Frequently asked questions - Wednesday 19 May 2010

Monday 17 May 2010

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Wednesday 27 January 2010

Monday 12 July

Bridge location map
(PDF, 1.64M)

Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme | Wednesday 27 January

Download or print this update in leaflet format (PDF, 370K)

Upper Hutt City Council has appointed engineering consultants Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner Ltd (Beca) to design the new Akatarawa Road Bridge (B1/4) where the wooden truss bridge by Wellesley Camp on the Upper Hutt side of Staglands is located.

The design will consider if possible, options to retain the existing bridge and to keep the road open during the construction phase. It is intended that provisions will be made for cyclists and pedestrians either via the new design or the existing bridge.

Local firm Griffiths Drilling will undertake core sample drilling this week to determine the ground condition for the foundations. The construction phase is expected to commence in mid to late April 2010.

It is hoped that the road will remain open throughout the construction period although delays are likely and as the existing bridge is located in the middle of the road corridor it may be necessary to close the road for short periods of time. Every endeavour will be made to keep delays and potential closures to a minimum.

The other two wooden bridges on the Waikanae side of Staglands will be replaced in subsequent years and will be confirmed through the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) processes.

For more information please contact the councils' Technical Support Unit on (04) 527-2152.

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Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme | Tuesday 13 April

Investigation work has been completed at Bridge B1/4 and the consultant is now working on the final design and alignment.

Council has been able to obtain further funding from NZTA that allows us to bring forward the replacement of the other two wooden bridges.

This means that all three bridges are expected to be replaced by the end of the 2010/11 financial year, ie June 2011.

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Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme | Monday 17 May

Download or print this update in leaflet format (PDF, 381K)

Bridge B1/4 was programmed to be replaced in the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 financial years. As part of their review of capital works spending New Zealand Transport Agency asked if the construction date for bridges B1/5 and B1/6 could be brought forward. Council subsequently approved their share of the additional funding allowing the construction date to be set earlier than expected. This means that all three bridges are expected to be replaced by the end of the 2010/11 financial year, i.e. June 2011.

The existing design contract with Beca Consultants was extended to cover the design, tendering and supervision of the construction of all three bridges.

Core drilling to determine the foundation conditions at bridges B1/5 and B1/6 and the other investigations necessary to determine the design will begin shortly. This work should not affect access along Akatarawa Road.

In order to provide the best value for money to the public and to ensure that the replacement of the three bridges is coordinated, the tender for bridge B1/4 has been delayed to allow all three bridges to be tendered as a single contract.

Preliminary design has been completed for bridge B1/4. The preliminary design identified a number of issues including:

The estimated price to construct this bridge has increased from 1M to $1.55M. This is the result of site conditions that were determined during the investigation phase. It is expected that there will be a similar increase in the estimated price for the other two bridges. The additional expenditure must be approved by council for the work to proceed.

Because of site constraints retaining the existing bridge as a heritage structure would almost double the cost of the work (from $1.55M to $2.88M) and is therefore not affordable.

These site constraints also mean that the most economic option will require the road to be closed for an estimated period of five weeks per bridge.

A report has been prepared outlining these issues. This will be presented for consideration at the council meeting on Wednesday 19 May, starting at 4.30pm. Any member of the public with an interest in this matter is welcome to attend that meeting and to speak if they wish.

Click here to download a full copy of the report.

GRIFFITHS DRILLING
Drilling to determine ground condition for foundations

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Frequently Asked Questions | Wednesday 19 May

Download or print this update in leaflet format (PDF, 480K)

What consultation has been carried out with the public?
The replacement of the Akatarawa Bridges is a project that has been included in the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) since 2009. The replacement of the first bridge (B1/4) was included in the Annual Plan for the 2009/2010 financial year. Both these plans had extended public consultation periods, including public meetings.

What will be discussed at the Council meeting on 19 May 2010?
The original budget for the replacement of each bridge was set at $1M. The Council also expressed a desire to preserve the existing bridge as a heritage item if possible and to keep any road closure to a minimum. Initial investigations have: identified that the lowest possible cost to replace the bridge is very likely to exceed the budget set by Council; and also quantified the additional cost to save the old bridge and to reduce the time the road is closed. In order for the work to proceed Council needs to approve a new budget. The meeting on Wednesday 19 May 2010 will consider the budget. If Council approves the additional expenditure then additional funding will also need to be sought from New Zealand Transport Agency for their share of the cost.

Why the short notice of the Council meeting on Wednesday 19 May 2010?
The first opportunity for Council to consider the proposed change to the budget is the full Council meeting on Wednesday 19 May. The meeting date and the agenda were publicised in the normal manner. The letter drop carried out on Monday was done as an additional means of ensuring that all residents of Akatarawa Road were made aware of the issues to be discussed.

How long will the road be closed for? The length of time that the road is closed will depend on the option chosen and the amount that Council is able to pay for the work. The estimate of five weeks for the option that was closest to the budget was provided by the Consultant based on past experience. Some contractors may have techniques or methods that will allow them to do the necessary work in a shorter time and this is a factor that will be considered when the construction work is tendered.

If the road is closed for five weeks:

What about access for emergency service vehicles (e.g. ambulances or fire engines)?
Emergency services will be advised and a contingency plan for emergency access is being prepared. Affected residents will get a copy of the plan with contact details once it has been completed.

When the road has been closed in the past, emergency services have been advised and have directed the response from the open end of the road. Closing the road will not affect telephone communications.

What about rubbish collection?
We will make temporary arrangements with the refuse contractor e.g. relocate the present collection "box" to the Upper Hutt side of the closed bridge with walking access through the construction site. Commercial collectors will need to be advised that access will be from the Waikanae end of Akatarawa Road.

What about mail delivery?
Initial discussion has been had with NZ Post and they consider that acceptable options can be provided. We will advise nearer the time.

What about access to school buses?
Options to address this will be considered once the detailed design has been completed and the work is closer to commencing.

What about affected businesses on Akatarawa Road?
We will discuss any closure with those businesses. We will try to work with them to time the work to minimise any disruptions.

What happens if the road to Waikanae is closed?
The road being closed at both ends is something that has occurred in the past, and is something that will occur in the future. If this occurs, both Upper Hutt City Council and Kapiti Coast District Council will work to reopen the road as soon as possible. With winter approaching it is an appropriate time for residents of Akatarawa Road to check their own preparations for such an event. Information about what you need to do to prepare can be obtained from Civil Defence.

What other options are UHCC considering for maintaining access?
A vehicle ford has been considered but is not likely to be suitable at this site. There are difficulties with access to the river and safety risks for users. In particular the way the depth of the river can change rapidly during periods of rain is a hazard that cannot not be managed safely. A design for a temporary footbridge at bridge B1/4 is being developed and will be included in the construction tender. Contractors will also be invited to provide alternative options (e.g. a bailey bridge) that provide a higher standard of access.

How can I get further information and keep up to date with progress?
Click here if you would like to be notified of future updates via email.

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Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme | Thursday 17 June

Download or print this update in leaflet format (PDF, 374K)

At the last full Council meeting Council agreed to fund the additional costs to construct the three bridges but asked that retaining vehicle access throughout the contract be investigated.

We have approached this in two ways:

we have investigated the cost of providing a bailey bridge:

a.	to install and maintain a bailey bridge on the downstream (shorter span) side of the new bridge through out the life of the contract is estimated to cost $115,000. However there would be at least a one week closure of the road whilst the existing bridge was removed to make room for the bailey bridge.
b.	to install and maintain a bailey bridge on the upstream (longer span) side of the new bridge through out the life of the contract is estimated to cost about $170,000. There would be no road closure with this option.

most experienced bridging contractors will have had experience at maintaining access throughout a contract and probably have suitable materials in their yard from which to competitively fabricate a temporary access. We have therefore instructed the design consultant to include in the tender documents items requiring companies tendering to submit prices for:

a.	maintaining pedestrian access throughout the contract.
b.	maintaining vehicular access throughout the contract.

The second approach is likely to give us the most cost-effective result so we will wait till the tender closes and then report back on the options for maintaining and funding access.

For more information please contact the councils’ Technical Support Unit on 527 2152.

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Akatarawa Road Bridge Replacement Programme | Monday 12 July

In May the Council gave its approval to extend the the existing contract for the design of a bridge to replace bridge B1/4 to include bridges B1/5 and B1/6.

The site investigations at these two additional bridges are now well advanced and the consultant has begun the design phase for them.

At the present time it is expected that a contract for the replacement of all three bridges will be out for tender in September/October.

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