New Zealand - Auckland - First of the eastern brackets - A close-up of crane workers swinging the first of the eastern box girders into position - June 1968 - Photographer: Chan, Albert Auckland Harbour Bridge fact sheet - The Auckland Harbour Bridge was opened on 30 May, 1959 - In 1959, 11,205 vehicles crossed the bridge daily. - The daily average number of cars crossing the bridge is presently around 154,000, with more than 200,000 vehicle crossings some days [Northern Busway has had impact on car numbers as people switch to public transport] - Cars and taxis were tolled 2 shillings and 6 pence -25c – that’s about $4.70 in today’s money compared with $2 for cars to use the Northern Gateway Toll Road] - It was built at a cost of £7,516,000, $24 million in today’s terms - A team of 1000 took four years to build the bridge - Constructed of structural steel and reinforced concrete, the bridge spans 1.2 kilometres across the Waitemata Harbour - The bridge reaches 64 metres above the water at its highest point, the top of the arch - There are actually three bridges within the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The section in the middle with the steep arches and flags on top is the original four-lane ‘truss’ bridge, plus the two clip-ons. - Clip-ons added in 1969 to provide more capacity - Tolls removed in 1984 - Moveable lane barrier installed in 1990 to prevent head-on crashes and improve rush hour traffic flows. - NZTA spends up to $4m on maintenance and resealing each year. - Currently, about 160 people working on the bridge: 20 maintenance people and another 140 on the strengthening of the clip-ons - The direct road link – plus two new water mains it carries – triggered massive development of North Shore which was mainly farmland and seaside villages when bridge opened. - North Shore population has quadrupled in 50 years. (Read more at https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/site-resources/content/about/docs/auckland-harbour-bridge-factsheet.pdf) Auckland harbour bridge opening 30 May 1959 - New Zealand’s best-known bridge opened after four years of construction. - The need for better transport links between Auckland city and the North Shore had long been the subject of inquiry and agitation. The Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority was set up in 1950 to raise funds and organise construction. The bridge’s ‘coat hanger’ design, with lattice girders on the 243-m span, allowed ships to pass beneath. - Building the bridge involved clever cantilevering of the steel girders, and staff working 33 m below sea level preparing the foundations of the reinforced concrete piers. The bridge is 1017 m long, and used 5670 tonnes of steel, 17,160 cubic m of concrete and 6800 litres of paint... (Reference: Read more at https://nzhistory.govt.nz/the-auckland-harbour-bridge-is-officially-opened) Video: Auckland harbour bridge opening 1959 Auckland gets it's harbour bridge to unite the North Shore with the rest of the city. cedrickrusty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Tu1WbjN1I ---------------------- Image source: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NAHBE020 https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/id/34439