Taipa Bridge
The long-awaited Taipa bridge is officially opened. Located on the Twin-Coast Discovery route, it’s an important project for both locals and tourists.
19$ million project, this 2-way bridge took 3 years to build, from planning in 2017 to official opening in December 2019.
Located on the main tourist’s connection, on the STH10 that takes its way via the Twin-Coast Discovery route, this bridge was too small and old and required improvements to keep up with the increasing traffic through the Taipa town.
Panoramic View of Taipa Bridge
NZ Transport Agency announcements
The first announcement was in 2017:
‘WHAT TO EXPECT DURING CONSTRUCTION Following approval of consents, construction is expected to start in late 2017 and be completed in 2019. Prior to this, the Taipa Area School pedestrian crossing is to be constructed in mid 2017. The works are being carried out by Fulton Hogan. The existing state highway will remain open throughout construction as will adjoining local roads.’
The reason why this bridge is important:
‘TAIPA AND THE SURROUNDING AREA HAS A RICH HISTORY Taipa Bridge is important to local hapu who share the kaitiakitanga in the Taipa area. A monument adjacent to the bridge marks the first landing place of the Polynesian explorer Kupe. The river and estuary that the bridge crosses are also places of significance to the hapu and their ancestors. The Transport Agency is working with local hapu who will monitor all geotechnical investigations and provide cultural input over the course of construction works.’
The new bridge is the smartest bridge in New Zealand!
It has Wifi, to help communities connect, smart programming to help with traffic and has even got included a facility for the time-honored Northland summer tradition – jumping from the bridge and doing bombs.
As seen on news:
‘The state-of-the-art Smart Cities street lights, positioned at both ends of the road adjacent to the bridge, will be equipped with wifi, CCTV and a programmable driver that will improve safety and connectivity in the area while also controlling lighting output and saving energy costs.’
‘The construction of the bridge was identified as a key priority in the Tai Tokerau Northland Economic Action Plan (TTNEAP), which is being facilitated and supported by Northland Inc, the region’s economic development agency.’
‘The key thing is that the wireless provides free connectivity to a community where it didn’t previously exist; that’s important in itself, but it will also aid visitors to the area and make Taipa more accessible and connected.’
Hundreds of locals turned up onto the blessing and celebration of the bridge opening
The celebration took place on 2nd of December 2019.
It involved traditional Māori celebration performances like haka dance and swimming on a canoe through the Taipa river.
Local Contribution to the Bridge Design
The bridge has custom-made ornaments and wood-carvings, that you can enjoy while driving/walking along the bridge.
This carving was created by a local craftsman Billy Harrison
