The Beachcroft Avenue footbridge is being replaced by one designed by the MHX design team and Jasmax. The bridge will be painted blue to tie in with the most dominant features in the environment, the sea and the sky. This bridge, which will become a landmark between the airport and Auckland, will have a distinctive 40m high pylon, sitting on a 10 degree angle.This pylon acts as the main support for the cable stayed bridge.

Manukau Harbour Crossing project began with two liaison groups as forums for regular communication with the Onehunga and Mangere Bridge communities. The groups have now combined and meetings are chaired by Ralph Hall (Mangere Bridge) and Bridget Graham (Onehunga) on alternate months.

Regular participants are (for Onehunga) Amanda Kinzett, John McAlpine, Jim Jackson, Shane Williamson, Andy Parsons and (for Mangere Bridge) Carol-Anne Armitage, Ken Taylor, Les Dixon, Roger Baldwin, Bill Kirk, Moana Herewini and Julia Tu’lneau.

The pattern on the Rimu Road overbridge resembles the effect that volcanic material would have if it was splattered onto the bridge in an eruption. The design seeks to remind us that we are in an area of huge volcanic significance, still evident by the craters on Mangere Mountain and at Gloucester Park.

To contact us

info@mhx.co.nz

www.nzta.govt.nz/manukaucrossing

Manukau Harbour Crossing Information Centre

Waterfront Road Reserve, Mangere Bridge. Open 8am – 5pm weekdays

Traffic will shift to new northbound lanes next to the median between Walmsley Road and Rimu Road, allowing refurbishment of the existing lanes to start

Traffic will shift to the new southbound lanes across the Onehunga Causeway, allowing construction to begin in the motorway median between Gloucester Park and the Queenstown Road overbridge

Construction of the new Beachcroft Avenue footbridge will begin

A new shared footpath/cycleway will be built from under the Mangere Bridge to Mahunga Drive

A new footpath/cycleway will be built alongside the motorway off-ramp between Orpheus Drive and Queenstown Road

A new shared cycle and pedestrian bridge over the Onehunga Harbour Road will be designed

Plans will be developed for restoring the Waterfront Road Reserve (currently the MHX construction site) in Mangere Bridge

The first two sections of the bridge deck will be joined

What will be achieved over the next three months

The motorway landscape between Onehunga and Mangere is changing from one week to the next as the Manukau Harbour Crossing project embarks on its second summer construction season.

The project involves widening the Southwestern Motorway to three traffic and one bus shoulder lanes in each direction immediately north and south of the Mangere Bridge, and constructing a duplicate motorway bridge across the Manukau Harbour.

Auckland and Northland director for the NZ Transport Agency, Wayne McDonald, says all motorway construction will be substantially completed by the time the new construction season ends early next year.

“Construction south of the Mangere Bridge, between the Rimu Road and Walmsley Road overbridges, is due to be completed by Christmas. North of the bridge, it will be completed in about March.

“All that will remain will be the connections to the new bridge and refurbishment of the existing bridge – work that cannot be done until the duplicate bridge has been built.”

At the bridge, the superstructure is taking shape. Two of seven deck sections, each of which comprises 22 cantilevered segments, have been completed and work has shifted to

other piers. The bridge construction teams have set new project records by reducing the construction time per deck segment from 20 to seven days.

Deck segments over water are being constructed “in situ” using the distinctive red form travellers designed and built especially for the project. Over land, the deck segments are being manufactured in the project’s on-site pre-cast yard, and lifted into position by crane.

The first big lift, in July, was 245 tonne and required two cranes working in unison. It is understood to have been the biggest crane lift undertaken on a New Zealand bridge.

The overall project is due to be completed in early 2011, ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Wayne McDonald says the project has begun to move ahead of programme as a result of the good progress made over the winter.

0800 7420 649 (0800 SH20 MHX)

MOTORWAy enD In sIGHT As PROjeCT PAsses HAlf-WAy

Beachcroft footbridge

Volcanic splatters

Community liaison Group

Manukau Harbour Crossing SePTeMBeR 2009

Getting through winter

Caring for Our environmentThe Manukau Harbour Crossing’s location, on the edge of one of the country’s most important bird sanctuaries, calls for the highest standards of environmental management.

The project is committed to minimising impacts on the surrounding environment during construction. It is also putting measures in place that will continue to benefit the natural environment long after the project team has gone.

The project’s environmental compliance is monitored weekly by the Auckland Regional Council and its scores have been consistently high. environmental manager Kylie eltham attributes this to awareness by everyone on site – whether they work on site or in the office – that they can make a difference.

swales for Cleaner Water

Grassed drainage swales are being built alongside the upgraded motorway to “clean” stormwater run-off before it reaches the harbour. They are designed to remove sediments, hydrocarbons and metals such as zinc and copper.

The swales on the Manukau Harbour Crossing are being built to tight specifications and require patience and attention to detail to get right – an exercise more akin to building a bowling green than to bulk earthworks.

They will result in higher quality water in the Manukau Harbour, which is home to more than 60,000 wading birds at various times of the year. These include New Zealand native species such as the oyster cater, wrybill and dotterel. As well, Arctic immigrants like the bar-tailed gotwit, turnstone and lesser knot make the harbour’s foreshore their home before and after their annual migration.

Taking a stand Against GraffitiDrainage works during motorway earthworks called for sheds to house equipment used to help remove sediment from stormwater. Called “floc” – short for flocculation – sheds, they could have been sitting targets for taggers.

Kylie eltham and her team invited local Girl Guides and Rangers to design and paint murals on the sheds and achieved their goal of getting the sheds through their life 100 per cent tag-free. This was despite other structures in the same vicinity being tagged.

Graffiti has been a major cost to the project, with at least one serious incident every two days. Graffiti visible to the public is removed as soon as it is discovered.

Anyone who spots suspicious activity on or near the site should report it immediately by phoning 0800 7420 649.

Going for GreenMore than 60,000 trees and shrubs have been planted over the winter planting season just ended – most alongside the motorway south of the Mangere Bridge. The landscape team’s focus is now on ensuring the plants are fed and mulched to conserve water over the summer.

By the time the project finishes in early 2011, about 150,000 trees and shrubs will have been planted on 205,000 square metres of land bordering the motorway. All are native species suited to the coastal environment they will grow in. They include toi toi, flax, lancewood, kowhai and pohutukawa.

Wherever possible, healthy existing trees have remained untouched and new plants have been placed around them to preserve and enhance their environment.

Waste RecyclingThe Manukau Harbour Crossing project aims to set new industry standards for recycling construction waste. While scrap metal, plastics and untreated wood are obvious candidates for recycling, the project has also looked for opportunities to send other materials back to industry for re-use.

On site are clearly labelled waste bins to ensure waste is correctly sorted and the environmental team works hard to create interest and awareness of recycling across the project. In July and August the project met and surpassed its stretch target to recycle 40 per cent of waste and have no recycling bins rejected because of cross contamination.

There have also been conscious decisions to use recycled materials wherever possible. For example, recycled wood chip – including wood from the project’s own recycle bins – is used for mulch. Old road pavement is milled and re-used where possible for building access tracks and as the foundation material for building new footpaths.

TRAffIC-fORMeRs – MORe THAn MeeTs THe eye

Andrew Rose became MHX’s new Alliance Project Manager on 1 july.

It is a significant role, half way through a project, when timing and delivery requirements become increasingly visible.

Andrew says that filling the well-respected boots of the previous project manager, John Burden, is a challenge that brings many rewards.

“Alliancing has moved engineering into a wider sphere where there is a lot more opportunity to get involved in major decisions.”

The biggest challenge over the second half of the project is maintaining and improving performance, at the same time as making sure staff don’t become complacent with traffic management and safety. He says that mistakes are more likely to happen as people become comfortable with the dangers they face on a daily basis.

Maintaining the MHX culture is also imperative. “We can have all the systems in place but we need people to believe in the values of the project, respect them and take care of one another. I believe in empowering people to step up and take control of themselves and what they are responsible for.”

Andrew’s goal is to maintain a sustainable team that can deliver a top quality project and go on to improve their next project. With the Government increasing its roading spend this year, he believes the team at MHX is in a good position to contribute to improving the ‘roads of national significance’ and New Zealand’s future growth. Andrew has taken on board the task of communicating this long-term goal to the team so they can better understand the significance of their role beyond the job they are doing today.

Andrew has worked on a wide variety of projects in New Zealand including irrigation dams in Kerikeri and Nelson, hydro schemes in Rotorua, marinas and recently NZTA’s Greenhithe section of the Upper Harbour Corridor. He also spent 10 years working in Asia where he was involved in infrastructure work on the giant Chek Lap Kok International Airport.

living near water is something Martha McGowan is getting used to. After working on a project near Inverness in the scottish Highlands, Martha came to the Manukau Harbour Crossing to take on the role as senior project engineer, responsible for the new 1600mm diameter water pipeline that will be installed underneath the bridge.

For most the pipeline will be invisible, tucked away safely underneath the bridge. It will become an integral part of many people’s lives however once it joins Watercare services Hunua No. 4 Trunk Watermain, a 30km pipeline that will transport water from the Hunua Dam to Auckland residents when it is completed in 2014.

each piece of pipe is typically 8.2m long and weighs 5.7 tonne. When the pipe is in its final position it will hang from galvanized support steelwork installed between the two box girders of the bridge and be underslung with steel saddles. So it is no surprise that one of the biggest challenges Martha and the team face is access to install the pipeline especially when it’s hanging above the sea!

Thanks to some innovative teamwork, a newly designed steel truss structure will be used to transport the lifting equipment and permanent materials to the centerline of the bridge over the harbour. This idea came from Geoff Peel, a fitter and turner on site, and was developed to detailed design stage by engineer Graham Frost. The system will allow the pipe to be installed safely and with efficient use of resources.

Martha says finishing the pipeline as close as possible to the end of the bridge construction phase is important to allow the access openings in the bridge deck to be closed.

Coming from Scotland, Martha has noticed a unique culture at MHX that she finds incredibly rewarding. She says she has gained some invaluable experience, made some great friends on the project, and loves the New Zealand lifestyle.

Maintaining safe traffic flows on sH20 without compromising the project’s productivity is a finely tuned art and one that traffic superintendant selwyn smith is continually mastering.

After 20 years in traffic management and having worked on projects such as Spaghetti Junction and the Northern Busway, Selwyn knows his stuff. But, he says, every project is different and when you add water and two bridges, it can still become stressful at times.

Selwyn and his team of 14 work many night shifts so that the traffic lane changes they manage cause minimum delay to the public. On a project like this, they do up to six night shifts a week.

With his biggest Stakeholder being Auckland Airport, Selwyn is very aware that passengers do not want to be delayed making their way to the airport and he likens his job to being in a big fish bowl. As he says “politicians

including the Minister of Transport travel this section of road regularly!”

When asked what he found the most rewarding part of his job to be, Selwyn said “the tight working relationships between all factions of construction. You come into the job as nothing and by the time you end you have formed these strong relationships and respect for other people”.

He says “there is a tremendous culture in terms of being focused and driving towards the end goals of delivering a bridge to meet high expectations”.

The strong relationships Selwyn and his team share are evident in their “smoko”

room. They have transformed the table they eat lunch at into a table tennis table so they can eat, and compete, during their breaks. The scoreboard bares testament to some fierce competition!

THe lATesT On THe enVIROnMenT

Northbound traffic

Construction

Southbound traffic

Lagoon

Nelson St off-ramp Nelson St on-ramp Queenstown Rd off-ramp

Nelson St off-ramp Nelson St on-ramp Queenstown Rd on-ramp

Road Layout Now

Construction

Road layout after lane changes

Northbound tra�c

Southbound tra�c

Nelson St off-ramp Nelson St on-ramp Queenstown Rd off-ramp

Nelson St off-ramp Nelson St on-ramp Queenstown Rd on-ramp

Lagoon

Northbound traffic

Southbound traffic

Construction

Coronation Rd on-ramp

Mahunga Rd on-ramp

Rimu Rd on-ramp

Walsmley Rd on-ramp

Road Layout Now

Northbound traffic

Southbound traffic

Road layout after 19 October

Construction

Coronation Rd on-ramp

Mahunga Rd on-ramp

Rimu Rd on-ramp

Walsmley Rd on-ramp

The northbound motorway lanes will close between the Coronation Road off-ramp and the Rimu Road on-ramp over two nights in October. The target dates are18 and 19 October, and will be confirmed closer to the time.

The lanes are being closed for shifting barriers and lane marking to enable traffic to be shifted to the newly constructed northbound lanes south of the Mangere Bridge. Work will then commence in the existing northbound lanes.

The southbound lanes across the Onehunga Causeway will close over two nights in late October or early November. The closure will be for shifting barriers and lane marking to enable traffic to be shifted onto the newly constructed lanes on the eastern side of the motorway.

Southbound traffic will need to leave the motorway at the Hillsborough Road off-ramp and rejoin it at the Neilson Street on-ramp.

neW PROjeCT MAnAGeR leADs MHX TO THe fInIsH lIne

fROM lOCH ness TO THe MAnukAu HARBOuR

Don’t mistake this “Swale” for your average roadside ditch…

Environmental manager Kylie Eltham among old and young trees alongside the upgraded motorway.

Kylie Eltham (centre) with environmental specialists Sophien Williams (left) and Elyse La Face (right) at one of their graffiti-free sheds.

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Hastie foot bridgePaul Jelicich, husband of former Manukau City Councillor Dorothy Jelicich cut the ribbon to officially open the replacement Hastie Avenue foot bridge over the motorway south of the Mangere Bridge. It was Dorothy who campaigned for a foot bridge here in the 1980s so that children from the developing Mahunga Drive area could walk to and from school. The original bridge was named after her.

The original bridge was demolished because it was not long enough to fit over the widened motorway below. The new bridge includes ramps for easy access for pushchairs and bicycles.

Beachcroft foot bridge The Beachcroft foot bridge between Seacliffe Road and Beachcroft Avenue in Onehunga will close for one weekend so that it can be jacked up by 500mm to provide safe clearance for traffic below. The work is planned for the weekend of 3 and 4 October, to minimise disruption to school students who use it. If the work cannot go ahead that weekend, it will be done over the next fine weekend.

The bridge will otherwise remain open until its replacement has been completed next year.

Orpheus DriveThe NZ Transport Agency proposes to close Orpheus Drive to through traffic from 5 October to 12 December 2009 to allow drainage works as part of the Manukau Harbour Crossing project. Under the closure a 600-metre section of Orpheus Drive north from the Manukau Cruising Club to the carpark at the bottom of Seacliffe Road will be closed to traffic in both directions. Safety barriers and detours will direct pedestrians and cyclists safely around the work zone.

For more information, phone Manukau Harbour Crossing project on 0800 7420 649.

Onehunga Bay

Reserve

Seac

liffe R

oad

South Western Motorway

Onehun

ga Harbour Rd

Road closed 600m approximately from the Cruising Club north

Orpheus Drivedrainage works

Orpheus Drive

Awards The Manukau Harbour Crossing project has been awarded:

Certificate of Merit, New Zealand Contractors’ Federation (Auckland branch) 2009 environmental Awards

Overall winner AB Equipment Trophy, New Zealand Contractors’ Federation (Auckland branch) 2009 Safety Awards and winner of Projects Over $10m section.

Recycled plastic pipes awaiting a new life.

OVeRnIGHT lAne CHAnGes