SELWYN BRIDGE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18904, 20 January 1927, Page 6

SELWYN BRIDGE.

WORK PROGRESSING. TO BE FINISHED THIS YEAR. Some '23 miles from Christchurcli, oh the Main South road, a gang of men is engaged on a work that should have been completed years ago. This is the construction or a bridge to cross the Selwyn river on the site of the present ford. At the present time the ford is passable, but often the river is so high that it is necessary for motorists to make a deviation of sc\era! miles to enable- theni to cross the Ellesmere bridge. The erection, of the new bridge will obviate this, and assist to make the Main South road a good deal more popular than it now is. A representative of The Press who visited the ford yesterday found that steady progress was being made with the erection of the bridge, four rows of four piles each having already been driven, or three spans of the ultimate 35. The bridge, which will run parallel with the railway bridge, a wooden structure, will be constructed of reinforced concrete'throughout, this being tho method of construction favoured to-dav. The piles are made on the site of the work, and are composed of eight steel rode held in position by wire, fitted with a pointed steel heel. bv means of which the shingly bed of the river is penetrated. The frame of the pile is then placed on a box, and concrete poured until' the pile has taken shape. Kapid-drying cement ensures the piles being ready tor driving in a short space of time, thus allowing the work to be expedited. A pile engine soon hammers the piles into position, apparently without causing them to crack, after which they are trimmed according to the shape desired, and are.then-ready to carry the superstructure.

It is expected that the timber to be used in making the boxes in which..tho various parts of the superstructure are to bo shaped will be delivered at the Selwyn within the next fortnight. As soon as the bridge parts are sufficiently dried they will be placed on the piles. • Mr F. W. Langbein. District Engineer to the Public Works Department, estimates that the bridge, which is to be 1050 feet in length, should be completed by about Christmas of this year. The Public Tv'ovlcs Department, which is itself carrying out the work of erecting the bridge, has sixteen men on the job, in addition to which another nine are' engaged on contract in making the approaches to the bridge, and carting from the river-bed the shingle used in the making of the concrete.