Returning Te Wero Wynyard Crossing Bridge to service October explainer:

Work on the bridge is making good progress, with a return to full service on track for December 2024.

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What is happening in October 2024?

Throughout October the project team’s focus will be on the massive job of reassembling and reinstating the disassembled bridge parts.

The engine rooms, lifting spans and back spans, which were relocated to a work-site on Wynyard Wharf, have been refurbished and are almost ready to be reinstalled. High-pressure water and abrasive blasting revealed the full extent of the corrosion, and extensive repairs along with new protective coatings are almost complete and will ensure the structural reliability of the bridge into the future.

Additionally, works have been underway on the steel structural parts of the bridge located in the harbour that couldn’t be removed, with the team working around the tides and wind conditions to access these areas to make any necessary repairs and apply a new protective coating.

The main contractor HEB Construction will be redeploying their jack-up barge (JUB) in and around Viaduct Marina at various times through October as these parts are returned. It’s expected it will take around five weeks before all the steel parts that form the ‘skeleton’ of the bridge are back in place, ready for the next stage as the bridge is prepared to return to service in December 2024.

Once these pieces are secured, the bridge spans will be winched to an upright position in line with the resource consent to allow free passage for marine traffic while it’s being recommissioned.

Where possible, the mechanical and electrical works required to return the bridge to service have been underway. However, it's important to note that while the bridge will, from a visual perspective, look like it’s ready for public use again once the structural parts are back in place, there is still a considerable amount of on-site mechanical and electrical work to be completed and tested as part of the commissioning.

Most of this work will happen in November. We’ll have more updates on that and other activity at the beginning of next month. In the meantime, the popular 'Red Boats' ferry service will continue to operate seven days a week and as well as being a handy way to get across from the Maritime Museum to the Viaduct Events Centre, will also offer those interested a great view and perspective of the team working on the structural refit.

Background

The Te Wero Wynyard Crossing Bridge, an important link between Auckland City Centre and the Wynyard Quarter, has been closed to the public since March 2024 to undergo a significant programme of preventative maintenance works.

This includes a full overhaul of old mechanical and electrical parts, sand-blasting and remedying steelwork and applying new protective coatings. At the completion of the physical works, a thorough commissioning process and acceptance tests will be conducted to ensure the bridge is reliable and safe for public use.

While the works are carried out, the bridge will remain closed to pedestrians. When the spans are in place, but the bridge is out of operation, the spans legally have to remain upright to allow free access to marine traffic, a condition of the bridge’s resource consent.

Because of the complexity of this project and the nature of the works, a date for the bridge to reopen to the public is still to be confirmed. As the project team get further through the programme and gain more certainty around remaining tasks, they will be able to more accurately specify a completion date.

There are two work programmes underway – structural, i.e. the physical bridge itself, and mechanical and engineering (M&E), i.e. everything needed to operate the bridge.

These programmes have been running concurrently and will soon start integrating fully as we enter the final phases of this large, complex project and the bridge is reinstalled in Wynyard Quarter.

The return of the physical structures, including the spans and engine rooms, will allow specialist technicians to begin the work to reconfigure the bridge for operation. So while it might look like it’s back and should be open, there will be a lot going on behind the scenes for the recommissioning in December to ensure long-term durability and reliability.