Whirokino Trestle and Manawatū River Bridge Replacement

Bridging the gap

PROJECT: Whirokino Trestle and Manawatū River Bridge Replacement CONTRACTOR: Brian Perry Civil (BPC) CLIENT: Waka Kotahi, NZTA VALUE: $63.9m

Delivered on budget and well ahead of schedule as a result of BPC’s smart planning and risk management skills, the SH1 Whirokino Replacement Project has won high praise from client Waka Kotahi.

The new 600m long Moutoa Floodway Bridge and 200m long Manawatū River Bridge have eliminated the 14-kilometre detour through local roads for HPMVs, delivered safer cycling facilities, and reduced maintenance costs.

Working within the active Manawatū River Flood Protection Scheme presented challenges for the construction team, which they managed through careful planning and close collaboration with the local authority.

Strong relationships underpinned the success of the project. BPC worked closely with the local community, other stakeholders, and iwi and employed around 70 percent of staff from the area. Each iwi had a kaitiaki on site and a local iwi member who was a trained ecologist was engaged to protect the ecology of the area.

The project began in 2017 and was completed in 2020. It has helped the University of Auckland undertake some cutting-edge seismic research that will inform decisions on the maintenance on many other critical structures around the country.