WAIHO BRIDGE

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1927, Page 1

WAIHO BRIDGE

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED. The first of its type iu New Zealand, the new suspension girder traffic bridge over the Waiho River, near the Franz Josef Glacier, has been completed, and was last week inspected by officials of the Public Works Department. The Department designed the bridge .and the plans were carried out in England. The work was begun about 11 months ago, but the delay in receipt of the material delayed its completion. The bridge is 300 feet in length, with a track of 12 feet, and is built to carry a load of 20 tons. It is hinged in the centre and at each end, to allow for expansion and contraction caused by the extremes of temperature. The days at Waiho are often very hot, and the nights verycold. On Saturday last, it is stated, the side of the bridge in the sunshine expanded three-sixteenths of an inch. Considerable difficulty was met with during the construction of the bridge, and one of the initial problems was the task of keeping dry the excavations made for the concrete foundations. During the night water from the river filled, them up, and the dewatering process every morning was along process. Finally, the idea- ot a-water-wheel was evolved and put into operation. It was on the job all night, and kept the excavations dry. The wooden water-wheel, its work completed, still lies on the river bank. The new bridge is an important link in the connection of the Far South to civilisation, and has brought the beautiful Fox Glacier, seventeen miles south of Waiho, a step nearer the trail of the tourists. The road to the Fox Glacier is now passable for cars, although it is necessary to adopt the goslow policy at several places en route. Widening operations are in progress on the road, and next season should see a groat increase in the number of visitors to the Fox Glacier.