SSP Engineering were contracted to the Waiarohia Stream Footbridge project as the main engineering firm who provided all structural & non-structural steel fabrication and installation. The steel componentry on this bridge totalled $0.9million, which was almost half of the total project value.
Every piece of the bridge was a bespoke, one off unit which meant there was no room for error. The SSP Engineering team completed all aspects of the engineering componentry with precision, on time & to a very high standard.
The most challenging part of the structural steel was the fabrication of the opening carousal. Due to the stream having to be open at all times to marine traffic, except for a 2 day closure for the installation & testing of the carousal, the fabrication had to occur off site. It was made out of aluminium, weighing only approx. 900kg, to allow the easy opening of the carousal by the hydraulic equipment. This bespoke piece was 10m long which meant getting it from the workshop to site had to be co-ordinated with traffic management & specialist moving & lifting gear.
SSP Engineering also carried out the stainless steel componentry. One of the main stainless steel aspects was the handrails which provide a structural aspect to the footbridge, but also are a stunning visual feature. There was approx. 220 lineal metres of stainless handrails included on the bridge which were all fabricated by SSP Engineering.