Bridges
- Publication no: ABC2017-085-17
- Published: 21 April 2017
- PDF (free) Download
In 2008 the Auckland Motorway Alliance (AMA) was established to maintain and manage the 220km of motorway network that surrounds Auckland city. This equates to over 1100 structural assets incorporating tunnels, bridges & viaducts, culverts and retaining walls.
The AMA network carries over 350 million journeys annually. Some of the bridge infrastructure supports over 170,000 vehicles daily, which represents approximately 12% of the Auckland population.
With Auckland City accounting for 35% of New Zealand GDP “Keeping Auckland Moving” is vital for the economy of New Zealand and the city of Auckland.
Victoria Park Viaduct (VPV) is a vital piece of infrastructure on the Auckland network that carries up to 100,000 vehicles daily. There are a number of condition issues which, if left unattended, will probably affect the future performance of this structure. The AMA are developing long term strategies for the bridge based on inspections, material investigations, Finite Element (FE) modelling and load testing, to ensure the longevity of the bridge, so that this key piece of infrastructure can remain fully operational for the foreseeable future.
The AMA also look after structures such as Old Mangere Bridge which is over 100 years old. This structure used to support vehicle traffic, but in the 1980’s was converted to pedestrian and recreational use. This structure is a vital link to the communities of Mangere and Onehunga that are separated by the Mangere inlet. Due to the potential sudden failure of the bridge, Real Time Monitoring (RTM) is being installed on the structure along with live load restrictions and physical holding measures in order to maintain this vital link to these communities.
The paper will look at how the AMA manage vital infrastructure, using examples such as Victoria Park Viaduct (VPV) & Old Mangere Bridge as case studies.