Te Ara Pekapeka – by the numbers - Waikato Business News

Main bridge

Waikato River’s new bridge – Te Ara Pekapeka. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

The bridge is 180m and 26m wide (the widest in the city).
The first traffic bridge to have no central pier in the river, an important feature for our iwi partners.
The Y-shaped pier is reminiscent of kete and woven flax and relates to the overarching idea of habitation, trade and travel.
The pier was lifted into place using a 650-tonne crawler crane – it won Lift of the Year at the 2022 NZ Crane Awards.
The central pier, bridge beams and balustrades are made from Corten Steel which reduces long-term maintenance costs and has safety and environmental benefits.
The design on the pier’s concrete base draws references from the ancient anchor of the Tainui waka and draws inspiration from the whakataukii: Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha. Waikato of a hundred chiefs, on every bend a taniwha (chief). The design depicts the casting of the fishing net used to gather kai (food) from the river. A large whatu (eye) or whetuu (star) faces the river, representing the many taniwha that inhabit the river and the Maaori chiefs, ancestors and kaumatua that have passed.
Lighting and structural features minimise the impact on the native Pekapeka-tou-roa (long-tailed bat) and the surrounding environment, both during construction and when it is operational.
3060 tonnes (3,060,000kgs) of structural steel used for the structure.
36 steel girder segments were installed to support the bridge deck.
Hidden inside the girders are 4900m of essential pipes for water and wastewater, and cables for electricity and internet.
1.17km of reinforced concrete piling for the bridge foundations.
More than 400 patterned concrete blocks form the bridge’s southern abutment retaining walls, with each block moulded from hand-carved panels. The unique patterns of the blocks represent the whenua (land), whakapapa (history), and awa (the river).
The bridge has four-vehicle lanes including two T2 lanes; the first in the city. There are pedestrian and cycle paths on both sides, future-proofing the bridge for the nearly 20,000 Hamiltonians that will eventually call Peacocke home.

Pedestrian bridge

PFS Engineering in Riverlea in the distance. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

The bridge is 71m long and 4m wide.
Is made of about 200 tonnes (200,000kg) of Corten Steel by PFS Engineering in Riverlea.
Features two-25m tall taurapa (steel masts) which act as a cap on top of the concrete foundations.
The two taurapa serve as a waharoa (gateway) to cross the Waikato River. This was inspired by traditional waka taurapa, the carved canoe stern piece.
The four faces of the taurapa represent ngaa hau e whaa (the four winds). They acknowledge the connection between hapuu across the rohe (area) who descend from the ancestral canoe of Tainui by facing key sites, including Kaawhia, Taupiri and Maungatautari.
The predominant motif is the takarangi – an intersecting spiral pattern of cultural significance – used in Maaori carving and can be commonly seen on the stern posts of a canoe, door lintels of carved meeting houses and other carved forms denoting a significant threshold. The carvings have soft and sharp curves to reflect both male and female energy.

Other project features:

The opening of Waikato River’s newest bridge.

More than 700,000 people-hours on project.
Nearly 140,000 trees and plants in the landscaping.
A 1.6km road from the new bridge called Kairokiroki Drive.
Urban upgrades to surrounding roads to accommodate traffic and footpaths.
A network of underpasses, separated bike paths, and roads.
A two-lane, four-way roundabout at the intersection of Kairokiroki Drive and Peacockes Road.
A signalised intersection at Peacockes Road and Paoro Road.
Relocated and newly installed utility services to cater for growth.
New stormwater, wastewater, and water supply pipes.
An innovative cascade outfall was created to manage the release of treated stormwater through a series of waterfalls into the Waikato River without causing erosion of the riverbank or riverbed. The outfall cascades 15-20m to the river below and is designed to deal with flows of about 4.5 cubic metres a second – that’s enough to fill more than six Olympic-sized swimming pools every hour. Sculpted from concrete and natural rocks, surrounded by native planting and with wetland plants in the pools to help slow and treat water, it is designed to blend into the riverside environment.
The investment will unlock a new growth area for 7400 homes and up to 20,000 people.
The project is the first part of Southern Links, a joint project with central Government, Council, and iwi, and recognised as a Road of National Significance.
Peacocke is being built with the support from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, made up of a $180.3 million 10-year interest-free loan and $110.1 million of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency subsidies.
The wider Southern Links programme will deliver 15 hectares of gully restoration, 1.5km of stream restoration, create 30 new wetlands and install 100 bat boxes.
The Peacocke Housing Infrastructure Detailed Business Case analysed the benefits of the HIF investment. For every $1 invested an economic return of approximately $5 could be anticipated over a 30 year period.
In partnership with the Southern Links Tangata Whenua Working Group, cultural symbolism, tangata whenua values and storytelling have been incorporated into transport networks and three waters infrastructure in the Peacocke area. The working group is made up of local hapuu who have ancestral connections to the Peacocke area, with representatives from Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Tamainupoo, Ngaati Wairere, Ngaati Korokii-Kahukura and Ngaati Hauaa. Formed in 2011, the working group has been a significant partner in the delivery of the strategic infrastructure projects and the wider Peacocke programme.