BRIDGE GIVES AWAY

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1929, Page 7

BRIDGE GIVES AWAY

ONE SPAN COLLAPSES.

FLOOD EROSION THE CAUSE,

AUCKLAND, August 23.

Without warning a, span 110 feet long in the bridge across the Waikato river at Tuakau started to collapse shortly after two o’clock this afternoon. While a gang of workmen was engaged on repairs to the structure, .with an ominous cracking, the span dipped over three feet, and tilted at an angle. The bridge is unsafe for traffic and h.as been closed. A large area of country is affected, as the bridge is an outlet for settlers on the south side of the Waikato river.

The bridge is a wooden structure over 700 feet long, and the middle portion comprises five spans of 110 feet each. The cracking has continued at intervals throughout the afternoon and to-night, and it is feared the span may'collapse at any time. The bridge is twenty-six years old, and much traffic crosses it daily. Cream-carrying lorries, going to Tuakau dairy factories, have to cross it, and it is the outlet for stock to the railway and the saleyards. Vehicles engaged in carrying foodstuffs also use the bridge. Prompt steps were taken to ensure that settlers would not be isolated, and a river ferry servioo has been established. The damage to the bridge is attributed to flood water interfering with the under-staging. It will be several weeks before the bridge can be repaired.