NEW NARROWS BRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19892, 22 May 1936, Page 6

NEW NARROWS BRIDGE.

PRESENT STRUCTURE PERISHING. TRIBUTE TO BUILDERS. *• I take off my hat to them —New Zealand’s first bridge-builders certainly knew their job,” commented Mr A. A. Woodward, engineer to the Waikato County Council, when lie referred to the construction of I lie old bridge across the Waikato River at the Narrows in the course of an address to the Hamilton Society of Model and Experimental Engineers last evening. Mr Woodward said the present bridge, which was of an ingenious laminated arch design, was erected 57 years ago. To-day it appeared as sound as ever, but owing to the wood being tarred some 20 years ago, the timber had not sweated and the interior had perished. A new bridge would he erected with.l a '< \\ years In concrete. As the cost of staging would he extremely heavy it was probable that each end of the new bridge would be hinged and built in the perpendicular before being lowered to meet over the middle of the stream when the construction was completed. Mr Woodward added that this method was in fairly common use in the building of steel bridges, but ho had not heard of it being applied to concrete structures. There was no reason, however, why it should not prove successful, it would save tlie county several thousands of pounds.