CCNZ / HIREPOOL CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2015
Far North footbridge
creates connection between town and peninsula It’s fair to say that the estimated 1000 people a day who traverse Whangarei’s new Kotuitui Whitinga footbridge would be highly impressed by its striking design. But should they care to delve a little deeper it becomes clear that the engineering of this unique structure is also something to be admired.
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CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2015
WINNER CATEGORY 2
PROJECT: Kotuitui Whitinga Footbridge, Whangarei CONTRACTOR: Steve Bowling Contracting
26 Civil Contractors NZ in association with Contractor magazine
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pened amid great fanfare in September 2014, the $1.83 million Kotuitui Whitinga footbridge crosses the Waiarohia Stream, linking the Hihiaua peninsula with Whangarei’s picturesque town basin. Forming an important part of the town’s Hatea Loop walkway, it also reinforces a wonderful sense of place for the Whangarei community through metaphorical representations of ‘journey’, ‘light’, ‘movement’ and traditional Maori food gathering. Local company Steve Bowling Contracting (SBC) won the tender for design and construction of the footbridge in January 2013. One of the unique aspects of the project was SBC’s 100 percent use of local consultants and contractors from the Whangarei district. No less than nine local firms were used. Richardson Stevens Consulting Engineers, for example, did the structural engineering, with the architectural concept developed by HB Architecture. As Steve Bowling says, “This [footbridge] was built by Northlanders, for Northlanders.” At 100 metres long, the Kotuitui Whitinga footbridge has a 12-metre central opening section for boats to pass through. Ultra fast, the opening section takes only one minute to open
