Media advisory

Historic bridge to be repainted

23 January 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

One of Hamilton’s oldest bridges, Victoria Bridge, is to be spruced up over the coming months with a full repaint.

The graceful steel-arched bridge on Anzac Pde was last painted 26 years ago.

Works starts next week to set up for the significant painting job which is expected to be completed in the middle of the year, and which is dependent on weather.

Hamilton City Council has contracted specialist bridge painting company TBS Farnsworth. Additional minor maintenance work will also be done at the same time

Work will mostly take place under the bridge, with scaffolding and a textile wrap installed to allow access to clean and repaint, and to contain any material to prevent it from reaching the Waikato River below.

An approved water management plan is in place to ensure the efficient and considered use of water to clean the bridge. If the city’s Water Alert Level moves beyond Level 2, water use will be reviewed.

Partial and short term closures of some footpaths and river paths may be required during set-up, and there may be a short period of traffic management on Grantham St during scaffolding set-up. There is not expected to be any disruption across the Anzac Pde bridge.

The Council has also been working with Heritage NZ around this heritage listed historic bridge, which is required to be repainted in the same grey colour.

Victoria Bridge is one of the city’s six road bridges, and opened in 1910, replacing an old timber bridge. It was fabricated by the Cleveland Bridge Company in the UK and shipped to New Zealand for erection. This company went on to construct many famous bridges throughout the world, including the original Auckland Harbour Bridge.

More information on the bridge is available on the Hamilton City Libraries Heritage Collections website.

© Scoop Media