Fairfield Bridge
Encyclopedia
Fairfield Bridge is a tied-arch bridge on the Waikato River
in Fairfield
, Hamilton
, New Zealand
. It is one of six bridges in the city. It spans from River Road, on the east bank of the river, to Victoria Street, on the west side.
It was registered as a Category I 'Historic Place' with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust
on 30 August 1990. The Great Race
starts just north of the bridge, with the rowers passing under it during the race.
.
It was designed by Stanley Jones of Auckland
, and Roose Shipping started construction in August 1934. The bridge was opened in April 1937 by the Minister of Public Works
Bob Semple
.
When the building of a bridge in the Fairfield
suburb was proposed, many people felt that it would seldom be used. Sixty-five years later, in 2002, there were about 20,000 vehicles travelling across the bridge each day.
During the building of foundations for the bridges, an excavator
came across a burial cave in the bank of the river. The preserved heads of several Māori were found in it. In 1991 a reconstruction project costing NZ$
1.1 million took place, as the bridge was suffering the effects of concrete cancer
, discovered in 1980.
During January 2011, the bridge was closed for three weeks for maintenance.
for riding a motorcycle on the arches of Fairfield Bridge. The stunt was filmed and subsequently posted on YouTube
.
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
in Fairfield
Fairfield, Waikato
Fairfield is a suburb to the northeast of central Hamilton, New Zealand. It contains many of Hamilton's state houses and apart from the area near the Waikato River is one of the lower value residential areas in the city.-History:...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is one of six bridges in the city. It spans from River Road, on the east bank of the river, to Victoria Street, on the west side.
It was registered as a Category I 'Historic Place' with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...
on 30 August 1990. The Great Race
The Great Race (rowing)
The Great Race is an annual rowing race between the men's eight from the University of Waikato, New Zealand and a prominent university team from outside New Zealand...
starts just north of the bridge, with the rowers passing under it during the race.
Design and construction
The bridge is 139 metres (457 ft) long, and has two land spans, and three arches which are 70 centimetres (27.6 in) wide, and 7.9 metres (25.9 ft) above the road at their highest point. The arches and spans are made from reinforced concreteReinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
.
It was designed by Stanley Jones of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, and Roose Shipping started construction in August 1934. The bridge was opened in April 1937 by the Minister of Public Works
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
Bob Semple
Bob Semple
Robert "Bob" Semple was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand....
.
When the building of a bridge in the Fairfield
Fairfield, Waikato
Fairfield is a suburb to the northeast of central Hamilton, New Zealand. It contains many of Hamilton's state houses and apart from the area near the Waikato River is one of the lower value residential areas in the city.-History:...
suburb was proposed, many people felt that it would seldom be used. Sixty-five years later, in 2002, there were about 20,000 vehicles travelling across the bridge each day.
During the building of foundations for the bridges, an excavator
Excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, stick, bucket and cab on a rotating platform . The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. A cable-operated excavator uses winches and steel ropes to accomplish the movements. They are a natural progression from the...
came across a burial cave in the bank of the river. The preserved heads of several Māori were found in it. In 1991 a reconstruction project costing NZ$
New Zealand dollar
The New Zealand dollar is the currency of New Zealand. It also circulates in the Cook Islands , Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. It is divided into 100 cents....
1.1 million took place, as the bridge was suffering the effects of concrete cancer
Concrete cancer
Concrete cancer is a colloquial name for the deterioration of concrete caused by the presence of contaminants or the action of weather combined with atmospheric properties. While often used in the context of the rusting of concrete reinforcement bar , the term can equally be applied to any number...
, discovered in 1980.
During January 2011, the bridge was closed for three weeks for maintenance.
Motorcycle stunt
In 2009 a man was charged, and in 2010 was convicted, for dangerous drivingReckless driving
Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced...
for riding a motorcycle on the arches of Fairfield Bridge. The stunt was filmed and subsequently posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.