The ‘Ngā Hau Māngere’ bridge constructed by McConnell Dowell on behalf of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency was officially opened to the public on Saturday 27 August.
The bridge previously known as ‘Old Māngere Bridge’ was gifted its new name ‘Ngā Hau Māngere’, which ’means “gentle lazy winds’ by local mana whenua.
Thousands of people turned out to the opening day event and crossed the stunning new walking and cycling bridge connecting the Onehunga and Māngere Bridge communities.
After three years of dedication and hard work and despite the difficulties and challenges faced, the team successfully delivered this elegant bridge on time, LTI free and with an excellent environmental record.
The deconstruction of the 105 years old bridge and construction of the new bridge was very challenging due to its location within a sensitive marine environment and underneath high voltage powerlines. The design of the new bridge was very technical and the team needed to construct complex concrete structures such as the V-shaped piers in the middle of the harbour. About 414 tonnes of steel deck and arch also needed to be lifted carefully into place beneath the high tension powerlines.
Throughout construction, the project team maintained a strong community focus, keeping the local and wider community informed of the progress made through; quarterly Newsletters for the local community, monthly ENews, presentations at community groups, site visits, community open days…
Strong relationships were established in the local community over the course of the three-year project. The project team’s partnership with mana whenua ensured the area’s history and culture were reflected in the design and the delivery of the new bridge and that care and respect were shown to the environment during construction.
Congratulations to our team, our client Waka Kotahi, designers Aurecon, and our subcontractors and suppliers for delivering this iconic project.
Below is a video of the Ngā Hau Māngere bridge opening celebration.
McConnell Dowell is proud to have been selected to support the Tonga Ports Authority in upgrading the Nuku’alofa Port.
This critical infrastructure upgrade will achieve a number of objectives including modernizing and climate-proofing the facility, increasing container capacity, and improving overall port operations. The Nuku’alofa Port is the country’s main international port and a lifeline for the people of Tonga. An estimated 98% of Tonga’s imports arrive by sea.
The main features of the project include an extension to Wharf 2 to better accommodate larger vessels, construction of a new dolphin between Wharf 1 and 2, construction of new dolphins on the eastern side of Wharf 1, reconstruction of Wharf 1, and general improvements such as reorganisation, new paving, drainage, smart lighting, waste management, and firefighting.
To ensure that the port remains operational with minimal disruption during construction, the works will be completed in three phases, with a mix of marine and onshore work.
The works will be predominantly self-delivered by McConnell Dowell, supported by carefully selected specialist subcontractors who offer expertise and efficiency in delivery works to the Pacific region. McConnell Dowell’s purpose of ‘providing a better life’ is demonstrated by our commitment to providing career and development opportunities for our staff, subcontractors, and the local communities we operate in. If you are interested in working on this exciting project apply now via our careers page.
Congratulations to Sidarta Nur Iman on winning the 2022 McConnell Dowell Group Values Award.
Sidarta is construction manager and acting project manager on one of our most complex and challenging projects in Indonesia and his leadership and perseverance has been instrumental in the project team achieving many outstanding results, including over 3,000,000 hours worked with zero lost time injuries.
Each year our staff nominate their peers (as individuals or as teams) for their outstanding commitment to living our values. Sidarta was selected as our winner from a field of 11 worthy finalists.
Well done Sidarta.
We’re getting started on the New Bridgewater Bridge project north of Hobart, with the first of our marine plant now on site and positioned near the existing bridge.
To say our team is loving the Tassie scenery and hospitality would be an understatement.
The project is the largest ever transport infrastructure project ever undertaken in the state.
We're thrilled that our Westland Milk Outfall Package 2 project was recognised at the recent CCNZ Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards held in Christchurch, New Zealand. The project received a high commendation in the projects over $5 million category.
As one of New Zealand’s most technically challenging projects comprising both marine and tunnelling, Westland Milk’s Outfall was a project dear to our heart. Located on the ‘wild’ west coast of the South Island, and subject to the region’s extreme and unpredictable coastal weather, we pulled out all the stops to de-risk construction and increase certainty through a method that combined unique-in-NZ Direct Pipe® (trenchless) expertise, and meticulous planning, practice and preparation.
Going trenchless was a key factor in minimising construction environmental impacts, enabling us to reduce the size and number of shafts required to install the pipe. Drawing on accumulated experience from McConnell Dowell’s delivery of all bar one of NZ’s outfalls, was also a key success factor – supporting us to make the tweaks in planning and process that resulted in completion of the 844 m tunnel drive ahead of programme!