Initiatives | Eastbridge
building
Bridges connect people. Providing passage for journeys by foot, horse, motor vehicle or train, they open channels for travel, trade and tourism.
Eastbridge general manager Andre van Heerden says. “Other companies in our industry have tended to focus on the building industry. But with years of expertise we have targeted a bridge market — the civic market. When people think of steel component bridging they associate it with Eastbridge, as that is our primary focus.”
Representing all shapes and sizes, every bridge design is aesthetically unique, having been conceptualised to meet a definitive purpose.
RDB bridging
The Roman Empire established an enduring connection between ancient civilisation and modern society with its construction of the Alcántara stone arch bridge, which still stands over the River Tagus today. And bridges like the Lupu in Shanghai and San Francisco’s Golden Gate have become iconic architectural symbols. A New Zealand company bridging the gap for clients since 1965 has taken its bridging expertise to local and international markets. Eastbridge, a private limited liability company, was born from WB Easton Limited and has been manufacturing bridges using conceptual skill and tactile ingenuity ever since. Eastbridge — one of New Zealand’s leading steel bridge fabricators — is building bridges which stand the test of time. As a specialist in the supply of steel bridging, towers and poles, the
company’s services cater for the domestic and international markets. Today the business is under the management of former Fletcher Construction project manager, Andre van Heerden, who has extensive experience in the industry. Eastbridge’s modern workshop adheres to quality assurance standards and inspection and test plans. Major plant and equipment resources include a test erection bay, 600 tonne brakepress, multi-head and beamline drill machines and an automated beamwelder. Eastbridge’s main clients are predominantly New Zealand contractors. However, given that Napier port is only five kilometres from its premises, the company has completed and transported multiple bridging projects to Papua
New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia and other major South Pacific countries.
Bridging projects The diversity of projects undertaken by Eastbridge has seen the company producing bridges for all purposes and places. The Mercer-Longswamp off-ramp bridge on state highway one, south of Auckland, was fabricated by Eastbridge and is the first significant bridge superstructure manufactured in weathering steel in this country. Constructed with fabricated plate girder and piers heads, the total span lengths are 82 metres. This bridge is a rarity, in that rusting is a deliberate result of the materials used. When a uniform rust patina is fully formed on weathering steel, the rust process is halted, protecting the steel from further corrosion without the utilisation of paint protection. Contracted by Genesis Energy, Eastbridge completed an extensive upgrade of the Tainui Bridge in Huntly. This project entailed the fabrication of replacement steel arch spans and strengthening plates for the 1940s seven span tiered arch bridge. This upgrade was conducted to enable the transiting of new 400 tonne turbines for the Huntly power station and more than 800 tonnes of steel was used in the strengthening of the Tainui bridge.
Quality Suppliers of Hot Rolled Products and Services to EASTBRIDGE LTD ISO 9001 Registered
New Zealand Steel Ltd Private Bag 92121, Auckland Phone 09 375 8999 Fax 09 375 8213 www.nzsteel.co.nz 52 | Auckland Today | May/June 2010
One of the largest projects the business is currently undertaking involves manufacturing the multi-span, ladder deck, Contact Energy Bridge for the East Taupo Arterial project. Eastbridge has been commissioned to fabricate a lattice plate 440 metre bridge with a 28-30m span between piles. The bridge, destined to span the Wairaki geothermal field, will be the largest ladder deck bridge in New Zealand. The company has also built enduring relationships with major New Zealand clients. “We have the strongest track record by far,”
As a specialist in Rapid Deployment Bridging (RDB), Eastbridge also manufactures rapid assembly, pinned joint, truss systems which are developed for temporary or semi-permanent situations. RDB bridging is suitable for forestry and construction access, remote or secondary roading, civil defence requirements and for military bridges. Available in steel or timber deck options with a maximum component weight of 220 kilograms, van Heerden says the componentised nature of the RDB systems ensures flexibility, design efficiency, ease of transport and build ability for clients. “The beauty of these bridges is that they feature short length components and the driving surface and deck is generally short. “The attractive part of an RDB system is that they do not require fancy cranes or equipment to assemble them. Recipients of these bridges in countries like Papua New Guinea can just bring their diggers and trucks and transport the parts with those,” he explains. A New Zealand example of RDB bridging constructed by Eastbridge is situated in Otangeroa, Northland. The 27 metre RDB bridge has a single lane steel deck and was supplied to complete public road access to a zone with forestry industry requirements. Pinned joints and maximum item weights of 220 kilograms enabled for ease of assembly and self-launch installation via crane.
Getting on track With a staff base of 45 employees including floor staff and management, van Heerden says many employees have demonstrated a longterm commitment to the company. Offering staff consistent work and keeping the communication lines open is a strong company focus and by employing new apprentices, the business has a broad spectrum of skills on board. With the increasing automation of fabrication processes, Eastbridge recognises the importance of recruiting younger employees as they respond well to exciting and changing work types.
NZ Welder Repairs Ltd The team at NZ Welder Repairs Services Ltd, has enjoyed a mutually successful relationship with Eastbridge Ltd and are pleased to support them with their present and future welding requirements.
. Submerged Arc Welding Specialist's . Welder Repairs on site . The Lincoln Electric Co master service shop Unit 4/5 Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland Ph. 09 826 1425 | Fax. 09 826 1427 www.nzwrs.com