Wynyard Crossing
Encyclopedia
Wynyard Crossing is a new double bascule
walking / cycling bridge built in 2011 in Auckland
, New Zealand
. It connects the redeveloped Wynyard Quarter with Te Wero Island and the existing Viaduct Harbour entertainment district, and thereby, with the wider Auckland waterfront
. The 100m long bridge is able to lift up to allow watercraft passage into the Viaduct Harbour area, with a 36m wide channel created by lifting two 22m movable sections. Even closed and at high tide, the bridge will still allow a 3m clearance, meaning smaller boats do not require the spans to be raised. Opening and closing the bridge will take 90, respectively 60 seconds, controlled by an on-site operator contactable by boats via radio.
The bridge was proposed after high costs (estimated at $50 million), combined with the Global Financial Crisis
, prevented a more sizable structure (capable of carrying buses and trams) from being built in time for the Rugby World Cup 2011. Instead, a less expensive walking and cycling bridge was constructed from prefabricated sections - though the foundations will be strong enough to later bear a more substantial bridge capable of carrying public transport vehicles.
The planned cost of the bridge will be $3.5 million, and piling works started in January 2011. In April 2011, the first of the two 29 ton spans of the lifting bridge was installed. The bridge opened for the public in early August 2011.
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
walking / cycling bridge built in 2011 in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It connects the redeveloped Wynyard Quarter with Te Wero Island and the existing Viaduct Harbour entertainment district, and thereby, with the wider Auckland waterfront
Auckland waterfront
The Auckland waterfront is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitemata Harbour coastline in Auckland City, New Zealand...
. The 100m long bridge is able to lift up to allow watercraft passage into the Viaduct Harbour area, with a 36m wide channel created by lifting two 22m movable sections. Even closed and at high tide, the bridge will still allow a 3m clearance, meaning smaller boats do not require the spans to be raised. Opening and closing the bridge will take 90, respectively 60 seconds, controlled by an on-site operator contactable by boats via radio.
The bridge was proposed after high costs (estimated at $50 million), combined with the Global Financial Crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
, prevented a more sizable structure (capable of carrying buses and trams) from being built in time for the Rugby World Cup 2011. Instead, a less expensive walking and cycling bridge was constructed from prefabricated sections - though the foundations will be strong enough to later bear a more substantial bridge capable of carrying public transport vehicles.
The planned cost of the bridge will be $3.5 million, and piling works started in January 2011. In April 2011, the first of the two 29 ton spans of the lifting bridge was installed. The bridge opened for the public in early August 2011.