Making the grade

Having the strength to support its projected load is clearly essential for a pedestrian bridge, but it must also fit aesthetically with its surroundings and be easily accessible by people with varying needs.

A footbridge fabricated by Ullrich Aluminium for the new apartment building and boat-stack facility at Sulphur Point, Tauranga, had to cater for wheelchairs and mobility scooters as well as pedestrians. It also had to look good in its setting.

Warwick Seeney, fabrication manager for Ullrich Aluminium in Hamilton, says aluminium was chosen because of its light weight and aesthetic appeal.

"Aluminium is a particularly appropriate material to use in this location by the sea, where the environment is salt-laden. I believe this is the largest all-aluminium welded bridge in the country," he says.

Ullrich Aluminium worked on the design with local engineer John Murray, and fabricated the bridge using multi-hollow extrusions welded together to form the deck of the structure. Crosshatched ridges on the longitudinally running extrusion improved the non-slip factor substantially.

To complete the project, Ullrich Aluminium manufactured the bridge in five parts at its Hamilton and Manukau fabrication divisions. The sections were then trucked to Tauranga where they were bolted together.

For more information, contact Ullrich Aluminium, 118 Wiri Station Rd, Manukau, Auckland, phone (09) 262 6262, fax (09) 262 6265. Email: alkalum@uacl.co.nz. Website: www.ullrich-aluminium.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas