i e Driving Starts ,t Duck Creek Bridge

Northern Advocate, 2 August 1949, Page 6

i e Driving Starts ,t Duck Creek Bridge

With all the preparatory work completed, the way was clear for a start to be made this morning on the driving of the 20 concrete piles, each 26ft long, for the Duck Creek bridge, on the reconstructed portion of the Whangarei-Onerahi road. Thirty-six wooden piles have already been driven and the creek is spanned by a rough decking, on which a pile driver now stands.

A three-ton monkey is being used to drive the piles through 23ft of mud to solid bottom.

The Whangarei Harbour Board’s floating pile driver, with a 25cwt monkey, has now been moved down to the Awarua Creek to commence driving temporary wooden piles for the 100 ft concrete bridge which will span that stream. At Duck Creek an 80ft structure will be erected. COMPLETED THIS SUMMER It is hoped that both the Duck Creek and Awarua bridges will be completed this summer. Owing to the inclement weather little work has been done on the highway during recent weeks. In preparation for the embankment across Clotworthy’s Flat, a large drain and canal have been put through the low area to the south of the present road. They have carried away a considerable amount of water from the swampy tidal area. The condition of the road in general is fair. The surface is moderately smooth, but it is covered with a layer of slippery,mud on the flat stretches. Metal is being used to improve the driving surface.