Ioannis K. Antonopoulos

The $20-$100 million two-lane bridge on State Highway 6 at Kawarau Falls near Queenstown is scheduled to open in the second half of 2017. Designed to withstand a once in every 2500-year earthquake, the new bridge will be less vulnerable to extended closures caused by major natural events that would effectively close the southern highway access into the Queenstown area. The area has extreme seismic risk and major lateral loads. Large 2.1m diameter monopoles have been proposed to withstand any future seismic and lateral stresses. Further, the bedrock in the Kawarau River is highly anisotropic, creating even more demanding design requirements.

• Implementation of large diameter monopoles
• Overcoming anisotropic bedrock conditions
• Designing for major seismic loads and lateral stress