Insley Street’s bridge over troubled waters

 

BY JULIA WADE

An old Mangawhai bridge on an arterial route leading directly into the Village has recently been deemed unsafe to carry heavy traffic due to structural damage. 

A temporary reduced speed limit has been imposed by Kaipara District Council (KDC) for drivers, and warning signs of weight limits for heavy transport (HT) have been posted before the entrance to the Tomarata Road Bridge, or Insley Street Bridge as it is commonly known. 

However council has come under fire by locals for what they say has been non-existent communication and poor signage regarding notification of the restrictions. 

Owner of local excavation company DiggerWorks, Harrie Elliot says the council’s signage does not go far enough to alert HT drivers en-route to the bridge that they no longer have access. 

“Council are saying it’s a safety issue but they’re not backing it up, they haven’t got signage out on State Highway One warning the long haulage guys who are coming through to Mangawhai,” he says. “Imagine the inconvenience for a driver with a fully loaded truck-and-trailer delivering something to Mangawhai, who then has to turn around… and has to go all the way back to Kaiwaka, adding an hour to the journey… which clients will have to pay for.”

Significant defects
KDC commissioned a structural engineer to assess the condition of bridge who found the crossing to have ‘significant structural defects’. 

In its current condition the bridge, which was built in 1954, is only suitable for light passenger vehicles with a crossing speed reduction from 50 to 30kmh, and ‘all trucks’ are advised to use the alternative route into Mangawhai, via Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road.

A weight limit of ‘six ton overall’ has been placed on the bridge, after the original signs had previously caused confusion showing two different entities of weight. 

Restrictions are effective from December 20, 2018 until after repairs, scheduled to start in March and estimated to take two months, are completed.

However a number of HT drivers have been detouring along metal roads Cames and Ryan with one accident allegedly already being reported, while some drivers are still using the bridge. 

In just one day Harrie Elliott says he witnessed 18 trucks cross over including four truck-and-trailer units.

“They want to stop all trucks going across and, looking underneath the bridge, that’s what should happen.”

Elliot has seen for himself the damage, saying the reinforcing steel in the curve strutting is breaking out of the concrete with pieces of rubble crumbling into the harbour water. 

“It’s definitely a safety issue but council are not being very safe,” he says. “The closure also has potential to affect people’s income; I know the quarry is already being affected which in turn will possibly impact truck drivers, builders and developers.” 
Although he has contacted the council twice regarding his concerns, just to be told ‘it is what it is’ by a staff member, at time of publication Elliott is still waiting on further response. 

Poor communication
With local bus company Leabourn resuming their Rodney College runs on January 30, owner/operator Lyndon Leabourn says ‘it’s all been a bit of a balls up’.

“Communication has been non-existent, with poor notification and signage and an uncertainty of what needs to be done,” he says. “Council seem ignorant to what goes on in Mangawhai, they’ve put signs up and think that’s going to cover their backsides.” 

Leabourn says he was not notified about the bridge restrictions and had to involve the company’s Ministry of Education representative to liaise with Council. 

He says he is hopeful now for a positive result at a meeting with council, scheduled only three days before school starts.  

“Fingers crossed council will come to the party with a one lane restriction allowing us over it… as at this stage for children out at Te Arai, we don’t know how we are going to get them to school,” he says. “Honestly, if the council really thought the bridge was that  dangerous, don’t just put incorrect and confusing signs up. If they thought there was such a risk, they need to do a lot better.”

Council action
In a statement released on January 23, Council have announced they have ‘come to the party’. From January 25 the temporary weight limit has been lifted and the bridge will be restricted to a single lane down the middle. The one lane system will also allow school buses to maintain their routes. Sorry kids you’re still going to school!

Traffic will be managed by temporary vehicle activated signals, however over the long  weekend, the traffic light system will be monitored and if required a contingency of stop-go traffic control could be implemented to minimise disruption to people’s journeys. Drivers can also take Kaiwaka Mangawhai Road as a detour. 

Council say the roading team have been ‘working diligently’ since returning from the Christmas break, on an interim solution which would lessen the impact of restrictions for all motorists.

“While the use of lights may add a little bit of extra time and disruption to the overall trip, it’s Council’s responsibility to ensure the safety of everybody,” says Senior Asset Engineer Andy Brown. “Given the extra tourism (and) summer traffic this isn’t an ideal time to drop to one lane, but it’s the best option for everybody’s safety and reducing worsening the bridge’s structure in the short term.” 

The change meets the requirements for Temporary Traffic Management under NZTA’s Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management and stops further damage to the structure of the bridge until repair works can be completed. 

After a period of closure, council will reopen Insley Street Bridge with lights and one way access, a move that will please locals.

Engineers have found the bridge to have significant structural defects.