The US$318 million contract is for conception and construction of a new road that includes what is set to be the country’s first extradosed bridge.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has appointed HEB Construction, a Vinci Construction subsidiary based in New Zealand, as part of a consortium formed with Fulton Hogan, Aurecon and Tonkin & Taylor. The contract is an ‘alliance’ type, creating an integrated team including the designer-constructor consortium and Waka Kotahi.
The project involves the construction of a 7km two-lane highway with a separate shared path for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as six bridges, including the extradosed bridge.
Vinci said that the chosen methodologies will allow a reduction of up to 20% of carbon emissions compared to a traditional design. A lowered entrance to the 550m-long extradosed bridge will fit better with the landscape and enable 235m to be trimmed off the overall crossing, reducing the amount of steel and concrete required. The crossing has been designed to reduce the number of piers in the Weiti River from three to two to reduce the environmental impact.
The alliance has also worked on improving the recycling of construction materials, using renewable energy sources and harvesting rainwater.
