Besides violent shaking throughout Christchurch & rockfalls in the Port Hills, along Avon River & Heathcote River, liquefaction added to shaking in riverside & swamp suburbs.
Given the volume of ground water forced above ground & quakemire produced, XL quakes slumped riverbanks, or raised riverbeds, raised / lowered estuary beds, returning swamp suburbs back to swampland. Nasty for anyone owning property on "reclaimed" wetlands, riversides, coastal dunes.
10 Bridges day: Avon River, swollen by recent rainfall. Same rainfall pattern pre 22.02.11 Killer Quake, causing so much liquefaction damage.
Driving downriver, many pic stops, I bumped along trashed, patched roads: River Rd, Dallington Tce, Locksley Ave, New Brighton Rd, Owles Tce, Union St, Estuary Rd. Scant improvement to eastern suburb roads since 22.02.11 Killer Quake, a year before. Council still had much work to do on infrastructure repair & rebuild. (2016, roads would still be crap).
Like 4 CBD bridges I'd recently seen, 8 concrete bridges further downriver had strong spans, unscathed by quakes. (Except for 2 trashed footbridges, 1 concrete, 1 steel). Two concrete road bridges were 2 span, the rest downriver, 3 span, as Avon River widened towards Avon Estuary.
Damages: at concrete joins between bridge abutments & spans, where span / abutment movement happened. Some spans banged against abutments, some moved sideways, some horizontally rotated, some spalled concrete chunks at joins. Some concrete abutments either sunk into river mud & / or splayed at odd angles away from bridge spans.
Damage clues: acute angle gaps between span ends & abutments, with abutments skewed from the vertical; split steel handrails, at odd angles skewed from the vertical, especially at abutment joins; tilted light poles & plinths on bridges; mangled or displaced rubber linings at bridge / road joins, or below spans; spalled concrete curbs & concrete paving; cracked or buckled tarseal.
Stanmore Rd Bridge: Concrete, 2 span. Spans OK. Stone light plinths, cracked, 1 fallen, Avonside Dr side. Tilted abutment, River Rd side.
15.02.12. Quake trashed, abandoned house, River Rd, nr Stanmore Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Quake tilted power pole. Stanmore Rd Bridge, quake damaged light plinth, Stanmore Rd / River Rd
Stanmore Road Bridge, bronze plaque:
STANMORE ROAD BRIDGE
In pre-European times the Avon, then known as Otakaroro, was at this point the boundary between two families within the Ngai Tahu tribe. The swampland adjacent to the bridge site provided highly prized foods for the local Maori.
In the early days of European settlement the Avon and Heathcote rivers were used as vital shipping access to the infant City of Christchurch. Bridges were regarded as a nuisance and their construction was discouraged outside of the city boundaries.
The first Stanmore Road Bridge was built on this site in 1862 and largely ignored ships statutory navigation rights. As a result in 1865 part of the bridge was cut away by Mr John Mills and his men to allow his steamer 'Maid of the Avon' to pass.
By 1875 the bridge was in a state of bad repair and in 1878 a new bridge was constructed with a 6ft path each side of a 24ft carriageway. Since then the bridge has been further widened and strengthened over the years.
By 1995 the old bridge had reached the end of its economic life and was replaced by the present bridge. The stone facing on the wing walls and the light support columns are built from materials recycled from the old bridge.
As Leah's London St, Seabrook Mckenzie Centre, teaching work was near Stanmore Rd Bridge, during our early Christchurch years, we saw bridge rebuild progress whenever we drove past on Avonside Dr.
Many Avon River bridges had abutments sunk or tilted so far into river mud that bridge spans were above abutment level. That caused a ski-jump effect where vehicles had to slow down before the bridge or on the bridge to carefully negotiate the drop / rise either side of the bridge. If one raced across a damaged bridge the vehicle's sump & exhaust could be gutted. Never mind potholes, sinkholes, cracks, lumps, bumps on roads.
15.02.12. Stanmore Rd Bridge, quake damaged abutment, collapsed light plinth, Stanmore Rd / Avonside Dr.
Despite patches along Avonside Dr towards Linwood Rd, slumping / cracking by Avon River was still happening a year post Feb 22 Killer Quake. More road patching was required. Post quakes, wherever one drove in Christchurch there were detours, as road works progressed / regressed. Avonside Dr / Linwood Rd / Woodham Rd was still a mess with a detour away from Linwood Rd, as water pipes still needed attention a year post Feb 22 Killer Quake.
15.02.12. Avonside Dr view, quake damaged Stanmore Rd Bridge
Swanns Rd Bridge: Concrete, 2 span. Spans OK. One concrete abutment River Rd side, big crack, rebars exposed, rusting. Opp abutment, spalled against spalled span end, Avonside Dr side. (2022. Abutment, rusty rebars still exposed, no concrete patch on rebars!)
15.02.12. Quake tilted power pole. Quake slumped footpath, Avon River bank, Swanns Rd Bridge, Swanns Rd / River Rd
15.02.12. Swanns Rd Bridge, quake cracked abutment, exposing rebars, Swanns Rd / River Rd. 2022. Rebars still exposed a decade later!
15.02.12. Swanns Rd Bridge, quake cracked / slumped pavement & abutment, Swanns Rd / River Rd
15.02.12. Swanns Rd Bridge view, quake trashed, abandoned housing, Avonside Dr. Post quake, blue water pipe on post quake, patched pavement. The houses would be demolished
15.02.12. Swanns Rd Bridge, quake spalled join between abutment & span, Swanns Rd / Avonside Dr
15.02.12. Swanns Rd Bridge, quake displacement of abutment & bridge span, road deck, Swanns Rd / Avonside Dr
15.02.12. Swanns Rd Bridge, spalling between span & abutment, Swanns Rd / Avonside Dr
15.02.12. Avonside Dr downriver view, quake damaged Swanns Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Avonside Dr view, spalling between span & abutment, Swanns Rd Bridge, Swanns Rd / River Rd
15.02.12. Avonside Dr view, quake cracked / slumped pavement & abutment, Swanns Rd Bridge, Swanns Rd / Avonside Dr
15.02.12. Quake damaged house, River Rd, nr Swanns Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Quake damaged pavement, River Rd, nr Swanns Rd Bridge
River Rd, red zone, ghost house fence, threat sign:
DANGER
UNAUTHORISED
PERSONS
KEEP OUT
Medway St Footbridge: Steel, 1 span. Trashed, steel span & supports twisted, buckled. Steel mesh fence cordon closed, since the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Medway St Footbridge would be deconstructed for storage at Ferrymead Heritage Park.
15.02.12. 04.09.12 quake trashed Medway St Footbridge, between River Rd & Avonside Dr. Medway St Footbridge would be deconstructed for storage at Ferrymead Heritage Park
15.02.12. Mowed quake cracks, Avon River bank, River Rd, nr Medway St Footbridge. Cracks due to lateral spreading
15.02.12. Quake trashed, abandoned house, River Rd, nr Medway St Footbridge
Nov 2021. I would trek Avon River's residential red zone where ghost houses were demolished, leaving parkland both sides of Avon River. New Medway St Footbridge construction materials lay on both river banks. 2 big cranes stood on river banks: green crane, Avonside Dr side, yellow crane, River Rd side. Info board, River Rd side, hailed Medway St Footbridge rebuild, opened 2022. Board also said bits of old stored bridge were used in various post quake construction projects in the city.
Gayhurst Rd Bridge: Concrete, 3 span. Spans OK. Road join slumped, Dallington Tce & Locksley Ave side, exposing pavement pipes & pavement ends. Abutment cracked, Dallington Tce & Locksley Ave side. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened, August 2015.
Dallington Tce, road sign:
TEMPORARY ROAD
CLOSURE
DALLINGTON TCE CLOSED
BETWEEN 16 DALLINGTON TCE
AND McBRATNEYS ROAD
7.00am TUESDAY 7/02/2012
TO 5.00pm FRIDAY 24/02/2012
24 HOURS FOR ENQUIRIES
PH...
Many road closure signs around Christchurch. We'd see many more over the next few years.
Power pole sign:
R :)
ZONE
net.
2022. Gayhurst Rd / Locksley Ave: Rebuilt Gayhurst Rd Bridge & Dallington Landing, a covered picnic spot would be opened on residential red zoned, housing demolished land.
15.02.12. Gayhurst Rd Bridge, quake slumped road join, Gayhurst Rd / Dallington Tce. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened Aug 2015
15.02.12. Gayhurst Rd Bridge, quake cracked abutment, Gayhurst Rd / Dallington Tce. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened Aug 2015
15.02.12. Gayhurst Rd Bridge, quake slumped footpath by abutment, Gayhurst Rd / Avonside Dr. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened Aug 2015
15.02.12. Avonside Dr view, quake damaged Gayhurst Rd Bridge. It would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened Aug 2015
15.02.12. Avonside Dr view, quake cracked abutment, Gayhurst Rd Bridge, Gayhurst Rd / Locksley Ave. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened Aug 2015
15.02.12. Gayhurst Rd Bridge view, quake trashed, abandoned housing, Gayhurst Rd / Locksley Ave. The housing would be demolished. 2022. Dallington Landing, a picnic spot would be opened on red zoned, housing demolished land
15.02.12. Gayhurst Rd Bridge, quake cracked abutment, slumped road join, Gayhurst Rd / Locksley Ave. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened Aug 2015
Snell St Footbridge: Concrete, 1 arch span. Span spalled downriver side of arch apex. Cracked concrete abutment, Avonside Dr side. Bridge steel mesh fence cordon closed, EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT threat sign. Snell Pl Footbridge would be demolished.
15.02.12. Locksley Ave view, quake slumped, concrete drain, Avon River bank, Avonside Dr. The drain would be demolished
15.02.12. Snell Pl Footbridge, quake trashed, closed, between Locksley Ave & Avonside Dr. Snell Pl Footbridge would be demolished
15.02.12. Snell Pl Footbridge, quake cracked abutment, Avonside Dr side
15.02.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Snell Pl Footbridge, quake trashed, closed, Locksley Ave side. Snell Pl Footbridge would be demolished
15.02.12. Snell Pl Footbridge, quake spalled, span arch apex, Locksley Ave side. Snell Pl Footbridge would be demolished
Locksley Ave, Kerrs Reach: Avon Rowing Club bldg gone, demolished, opp Avon River bank. Avon Rowing Club would be rebuilt. Further on, parked by red zone, ghost houses, I watched an orange dredger & 2 City Care workmen dredging weeds from Avon River.
15.02.12. Locksley Ave view, Avon Rowing Club, post quake, demolition site, Kerrs Reach, Avon River. Avon Rowing Club would be rebuilt
15.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Locksley Ave view, City Care, post quake, water weed dredging, Kerrs Reach, Avon River
15.02.12. Quake trashed, boarded house, Locksley Ave, Kerrs Reach
Avondale Rd Bridge: Concrete: 3 span. Spans OK. Abutments skewed Avonside Dr side. Road cracks across bridge at road joins. Patch repairs with yellow, hardened foam & tarseal at cracks.
2013. Bridge would be repaired: abutments demolished, replaced. SCIRT took its time with repairs, so the bridge would be closed for the whole of 2013. Never mind inconvenienced locals driving long detours. Similar obstacle courses were made by SCIRT for years in post quake Christchurch.
15.02.12. New Brighton Rd, upriver view, quake damaged, Avondale Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, quake tilted abutment, spalled span end, New Brighton Rd, upriver side. The abutment would be demolished, replaced by SCIRT, 2013
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, quake tilted abutment & span end, Avondale Rd, downriver side. The abutment would be demolished, replaced by SCIRT, 2013
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, quake tilted abutment & light poles, Avondale Rd, downriver side. The abutment would be demolished, replaced by SCIRT, 2013
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, quake separated abutment, span & hand rail, Avondale Rd, downriver side. The abutment would be demolished, replaced by SCIRT, 2013
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, patch repairs to join between abutment & span, Avondale Rd side
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, quake tilted abutment & patch repairs between abutment & span, Avonside Dr, upriver side. The abutment would be demolished, replaced by SCIRT, 2013
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge view, quake survivor housing, New Brighton Rd
15.02.12. Quake road damage between Avondale Rd Bridge, road deck & abutment, New Brighton Rd side
15.02.12. Avondale Rd Bridge, quake tilted abutment, span & hand rail, New Brighton Rd side. The abutment would be demolished, replaced by SCIRT, 2013
15.02.12. New Brighton Rd, downriver view, quake damaged, Avondale Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Green, plastic, sewage tank, New Brighton Rd / Avondale Rd Bridge traffic circle
Anzac Bridge: Concrete, 3 span. Spans OK. Big bridge, heavy traffic. Nearby New Brighton Rd & Anzac Dr: bumpy, due to waterway between Travis Wetland & Avon River.
15.02.12. New Brighton Rd, upriver view, quake damaged, Anzac Bridge
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge NE cnr, quake flooded, cycle track, quake tilted abutment, spalled span
15.02.12.Anzac Bridge NE cnr, quake damaged abutment & plinth
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge, post quake, upriver view, Avon River
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge NW cnr, quake damaged abutment & pavement join
Concrete cycle tracks below bridge, trashed, flooded. Fish swimming in flooded cracks, south side. Cycle track concrete slabs, damaged, some 1m high, tilted separations, New Brighton Rd side & Hulverston Dr side. Spalled concrete, cycle track edges, Hulverston Dr side.
15.02.12. Road works, Hulverston Dr by Anzac Bridge
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge NW cnr, quake trashed / flooded cycle track
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge NW cnr, quake tilted abutment
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge NW cnr, car tyres below quake tilted abutment
Abutments, skewed at odd angles, masses of old rubber tyres under abutments, amongst abutment supports. Lights & light plinths, skewed at bridge ends. Acute angle gaps between concrete span ends & concrete abutments.
15.02.12. Quake damaged New Brighton Rd nr Anzac Bridge. Concrete curb pulled apart from tarseal
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SE cnr, quake cracked abutment
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SE cnr, quake cracked, spalled bridge piers
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SE cnr, quake trashed / flooded cycle track, quake tilted abutment
Of 8 square concrete piers in the riverbed, supporting concrete spans, 2 square, concrete piers had spalling & cracked concrete below spans. Those 2 piers could fail in the next big quake. Superficial spalling, at abutment edges.
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SE cnr, quake trashed / flooded cycle track, quake tilted abutment
15.02.12. Downriver view, quake damaged, Anzac Bridge
I didn't want to be driving on Anzac Bridge during the next XL quake, as downriver side, 2 cracked & spalled piers in Avon River looked ominous.
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SW cnr, quake tilted abutment
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SW cnr, old tyres below quake tilted abutment
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SW cnr, quake spalled, concrete wall by cycle track
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SW cnr, quake cracked & spalled piers
15.02.12. Anzac Bridge SW cnr, quake trashed / flooded cycle track, quake tilted abutment
Wainoni Rd Bridge: Concrete, 3 span. Spans OK. Concrete slab separations at light plinths & concrete barrier in middle of bridge, Wainoni Rd end. Downriver side cycle track slumped at abutment ends. Tarseal cycle track, sunk a foot in places below concrete cycle track, both bridge ends, due to abutments slumping. Distinct bow shape of concrete middle span of side cycle track. I crossed the bridge on the pavement.
15.02.12. New Brighton Rd, upriver view, quake damaged, Wainoni Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, quake cracked light plinth, New Brighton Rd
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, post quake patch between abutment & road deck, New Brighton Rd. Ski-jump effect after post quake road repair
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, quake damaged, part repaired cycle track, New Brighton Rd. River bank slumped below cycle deck
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, quake bent, cycle track span, downriver side. Steel, wing wall, quake skewed
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, post quake, downriver view, Avon River
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, post quake, cycle track, downriver side, Wainoni Rd
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, quake slumped join between abutment & road deck, Wainoni Rd
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, quake bent, cycle track above abutment, Wainoni Rd
15.02.12. Avon River stopbank, downriver view, quake damaged, Wainoni Rd Bridge, Wainoni Rd
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, Wainoni Rd view, post quake, road patching on slumped abutment, aka ski-jump effect
15.02.12. Wainoni Rd Bridge, quake cracked, light plinth, Wainoni Rd
15.02.12. Upriver view, quake damaged, Wainoni Rd Bridge, Wainoni Rd
15.02.12. Quake trashed house nr Wainoni Rd Bridge, New Brighton Rd. The house would be demolished
Pages Rd Bridge: Concrete, 3 span. Spans OK. Tarseal cracks across bridge at road joins both sides. Superficial stonework cracks at abutments, Owles Tce side & Wairoa St side. Deep cracks on riverbank, Owles Tce side, due to lateral spreading. Wairoa St side, cracks on riverbank, stopbank shingle repaired.
15.02.12. New Brighton Rd upriver view, quake damaged Pages Rd Bridge
15.02.12. FOOTPATH CLOSED. Pages Rd Bridge NE cnr, post quake road works
15.02.12. Road island view, quake damaged, Pages Rd Bridge, New Brighton side
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge SE cnr, quake damaged abutment, slumped Avon River bank, due to lateral spreading
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge, post quake, black plastic, sewage pipes
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge, downriver view, Avon River. Owles Tce left, raised stopbank, Wairoa St right
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge SE cnr, abutment & wing wall quake damage, Owles Tce side
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge SW cnr, abutment quake damage, Wairoa St side
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge SW cnr, abutment & road patch repairs, Wairoa St side, aka ski-jump effect
15.02.12. Pages Rd Bridge SW cnr, abutment quake damage, Wairoa St side, aka ski-jump effect
15.02.12. Wairoa St stopbank, downriver view, quake damaged Pages Rd Bridge
15.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Pages Rd Bridge NW cnr, post quake road works
South Brighton Bridge: Concrete, 3 span. Big bridge. Spans OK. Spans supported by black, rubber blocks between spans & piers & between span ends & abutments. Quakes horizontally rotated spans & road deck clockwise, so that NW corner span deck stuck out northwards from the bridge, away from the abutment & SE corner span deck stuck out southwards from the bridge, away from the other abutment.
15.02.12. Avon River Estuary, South Brighton Bridge. Port Hills backdrop
15.02.12. Bridge St view, Avon - Heathcote Estuary. Mt Pleasant, Mt Cavendish, Port Hills backdrop
15.02.12. Bridge St, upriver view, Avon River Estuary, towards New Brighton
Post quakes, as Bridge St was misaligned with South Brighton Bridge road deck, when driving across one had to snake across at bridge ends.
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NE cnr, quake broken, warped handrail, Bridge St, due to horizontal clockwise rotation of bridge spans. NE cnr rotated the width of a tyre tread
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NE cnr view, SE cnr & quake shifted span & road deck, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NE cnr, quake split handrail & southwards shift of span & road deck, Bridge St, due to clockwise rotation of span & road deck. Sticking out bit is the non-rotated, abutment top
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NE cnr, quake tilted abutment, shifted span, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NE cnr, upriver view, quake shifted spans, Bridge St
Black, rubber support block crushed? lost? from under the span end at the SE cnr join between span end & abutment. Plugged with 2 wood planks. What were engineers thinking?
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge, NW cnr view, quake split & warped handrail & northwards shift of span & road deck, Bridge St, due to clockwise rotation of span & road deck
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NW cnr, upriver view, quake shifted spans, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NW cnr, quake split handrail & northwards shift of span & road deck, by quake cracked abutment, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NW cnr, quake shifted span & road deck, exposed abutment supports, Bridge St
Concrete span & road deck at NW end of bridge had clockwise moved the most, about 2 feet northwards & diagonally opp SE span & road deck had clockwise moved about 1 foot southwards, estuary mouth direction. Clockwise rotation direction was easily seen at road joins above.
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr view, NW cnr & northwards shift of span & road deck, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr, post quake, black, sewage pipe, quake split handrail, Bridge St, showing clockwise rotation of road deck away from abutment, hand rail
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr, mangled rubber lining between span, road deck & abutment & northwards, quake shifted span & road deck, Bridge St. Sticking out bit is the non-rotated abutment
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr, downriver view, quake tilted abutment, quake shifted span & road deck, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr, quake displaced black, rubber block, below span, plugged by wooden planks, by quake tilted abutment, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr, downriver view, quake shifted bridge spans, Bridge St
Abutments at both bridge ends were skewed, acute angles between span ends & abutment joins. Black, rubber block, displaced from join between abutment & span end at SW cnr of bridge. Plugged, 2 wood planks again!
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake moved span & deck southwards away from abutment, Bridge St, due to clockwise rotation of spans
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake split, warped handrail, post quake, black, sewage pipe, southwards movement of span & road deck, Bridge St, due to clockwise rotation of spans
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake moved span & road deck, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake moved span & road deck, angled away from abutment, black, rubber block gone, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake moved span & road deck, above abutment supports, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, upriver view, quake shifted spans, Bridge St
Steel handrails, 4 cnrs of the bridge, split, warped by bridge movement. Rubber linings between abutments & road joins, twisted, mangled at road surface.
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NE cnr, quake split hand rail, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge, quake split handrail, centre of upriver span deck, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge NW cnr, upriver span deck, quake moved northwards, Bridge St, due to clockwise rotation of spans
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SW cnr, quake split handrail, post quake, black, sewage pipe, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake split, handrail, post quake, black, sewage pipe, span deck, quake moved southwards, downriver, Bridge St, due to clockwise rotation of span & road deck
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, clockwise moved span deck & road southwards, Bridge St
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge SE cnr, quake split, warped handrail, post quake, black, sewage pipe, clockwise rotated span & road deck, southwards, Bridge St
Lovely southern view: Avon River Estuary & Port Hills. Trashed, Pleasant Point Yacht Club, gone, demolished.
15.02.12. South Brighton Bridge view, Avon - Heathcote Estuary, Pleasant Point Yacht Club demolition site. Port Hills backdrop
Although South Brighton Bridge looked reasonably OK after 10 000 quakes & patch repairs, with all the twisting, tilting, shifting of bridge structures, the steel reinforcements were under stress.
As the Alpine Fault, 100km away, hadn't ruptured for decades, seismologists said it would shake Canterbury for 2 minutes, longer than any Christchurch quakes over the past 17 months.
Over the past couple of weeks, I'd looked at 14 Avon River bridges, from Manchester St Bridge in the CBD red zone, downriver to South Brighton Bridge over Avon Estuary. All were quake damaged. Why were engineers & Council allowing damaged bridges to be used still, with just patch repairs? Reminiscent of patch repairs done to bldgs before the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Never mind disaster access & egress by eastern suburb residents. Nor tsunami danger if an offshore fault ruptured.
Thurs 16.02.12. 4.13am, M4.1 quake, 5km depth, 10km E of Christchurch (GeoNet). Slept through it.
Thurs 23.02.12. Drove across South Brighton Bridge again. South side lane, orange, plastic, road cone cordoned, making the bridge one lane only, mobile traffic lights each end of the bridge. A year post Feb 22 Killer Quake, it was time Council engineers jacked up bridge spans!
That same evening near St Bedes College one of my Honda Civic's new tyres had a blowout. First blowout in nearly 17 years living in Christchurch. Council must fix roads!.
Viewing damaged, Avon River bridges: an interregnum between Council & CERA forming SCIRT, which would take years to repair trashed infrastructure, roads, bridges. Christchurch would become Cone City: road & bridge repairs, detours, rebuilds.
*Trekked Stanmore Rd, Swanns Rd, Medway St, Gayhurst Rd, Snell St, Locksley Ave, Avondale Rd, Anzac Dr, Wainoni Rd, Pages Rd, Bridge St. 265 images.
Coda:
Christchurch Mail, 16.08.12, reported Avon River bridge repairs by SCIRT:
South Brighton Bridge would be repaired - taking about 3 years to repair by April 2015.
Pages Rd Bridge: "Repairs will begin when Bridge St Bridge (sic) is completed."
Avondale Rd Bridge: "Work has recently started."
Gayhurst Rd Bridge: "Early next year."
Anzac Bridge. "Mid 2013."
Meanwhile citizens had to use dangerous bridges for years.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Chch's crucial Dallington bridge ready for business (The Press / Stuff Co).
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