Covered Bridges

[Danger Dave]

Odd question but does New Zealand have any covered bridges? i have done a lot of riding around but don't seem to recall seeing any, if anyone doesn't know what i'm talking about i have attached a picture.

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[fridayflash]

dukes of hazard style! ive never seen any but am curious now too...
are you from usa danger dave?

[Maha]

They are called tunnels here. ;)

[Danger Dave]

dukes of hazard style! ive never seen any but am curious now too...
are you from usa danger dave?

Nope not at all, i'm NZ born & breed :banana:

[fridayflash]

i know the covered bridges thing is a tourist attraction in the southern states and bible belt regions of usa
many are now protected etc

[Moi]

The closest we get to a covered bridge are the double-decked combined rail/road bridges - and they are few and far between now but were once more common.

There's one north of Taumarunui where the Taumarunui-Stratford railway line crosses the Ongarue River > look for where the Okahukura Saddle Rd leaves SH4 and it's near there.

Another is the one in the Karangahake Gorge that is part of the walk/cycle way that used to be the rail line through there to Paeroa, plus the one at Awatere near Seddon - though that has been replaced by a new road bridge.

[fridayflash]

that south island one was legendary, i heard it was replaced, does it still exist for railway only now?

[merv]

that south island one was legendary, i heard it was replaced, does it still exist for railway only now?

Yeah rail only with new road bridge alongside. I thought the other two mentioned above were truss bridges but not double deck so rail only.

[Ender EnZed]

covered bridges?

What's the point? Why do they exist?

[Moi]

Yeah rail only with new road bridge alongside. I thought the other two mentioned above were truss bridges but not double deck so rail only.

Did a wee check - when all else fails, check the info...

Only three doubledeck rail/road bridges in NZ - the one north of Taumarunui, the one in the Karangahake Gorge and the Awatera River bridge.

Have driven over all three and all have the road on the lower deck with rail above. And all are one lane only, which used to cause problems at the Awatera River bridge.

[EJK]

What's the point? Why do they exist?

To keep the bridge dry from rain you dummie :weird:

[fridayflash]

What's the point? Why do they exist?

self bracing i assume, like a truss bridge but fully enclosed

[AllanB]

What's the point? Why do they exist?

So Clint Eastwood could make and star in a movie.

[jellywrestler]

dukes of hazard style!
or if they're vietnamese they're the Gooks of hazard...

[longwayfromhome]

What's the point? Why do they exist?

From Wikipedia... 'A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof and siding which, in most covered bridges, create an almost complete enclosure.[1] The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges have a life span of only 10 to 15 years because of the effects of rain and sun.[2]'

Having lived 12 years in the US, they are interesting sights when travelling around, particularly in the NE.

[slofox]

I seem to remember crossing a shared bridge somewhere in the Sarf Island years ago. Shared in that both rail and road used the same (single width) deck - rail lines ran down the middle. Bit disconcerting the first time across. Guess it would make for interesting racing if so inclined...My old man recounted crossing one thousands of years ago when the train came ghosting up behind him when he was half way across...both going the same way of course. He reckoned he had never accelerated so fast ever.

[Ocean1]

My old man recounted crossing one thousands of years ago when the train came ghosting up behind him when he was half way across...both going the same way of course. He reckoned he had never accelerated so fast ever.

There use to be one down the south end of the west coast, I remember the old man getting out of the car in the pissing down rain to read the train timetable on one of the bridge supports. That posted timetable was the sum total of traffic control.

Think there's a couple of them left, still.

[merv]

Think there's a couple of them left, still.

The Taramakau bridge between Kumara and Greymouth is still there, the Arahura bridge between Kumara and Hokitika has been replaced with road now having two lanes alongside rail on the same new structure. http://www.hera.org.nz/Category?Action=View&Category_id=468

A Policewoman got her Police car T-boned by a train on the Taramakau Bridge in 2005 and doing a Google search on the internet I cannot find any images of it at a quick glance. Did the Police make sure all images were expunged from the internet then?

[Grumph]

When I was a kid with the old man out on the bike, he went off course around the Macleans Island area North of ChCh. This was well before it was developed as a rec area for the city. I remember we crossed a classic covered bridge on our travels - the old man was surprised as he didn't know it existed. I remember it as being the Kiwi version - corrugated iron...

I suspect it didn't survive the Waimak floods of the 60's. Certainly nothing there now.

[unstuck]

This is the old one over the Arahura.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jMBM35Lz6EQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Moi]

Unstuck, you're bloody marvellous... if you let your contribution run to the end there are some suggestions for viewing....

The Awatere Bridge....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpzRExGpf6w#at=21

[Padmei]

I miss the Awetere Bridge. It was so cool.

[varminter]

[QUOTE=slofox;1130586940]I seem to remember crossing a shared bridge somewhere in the Sarf Island years ago. Shared in that both rail and road used the same (single width) deck - rail lines ran down the middle. Bit disconcerting the first time across.

Pekatahe Bridge, on the back road to Opotiki via Taneatua. No trains run there now but back in the day....

Whenever I go over it the rails give me a bit of pucker. Do you get led along like a tram I wonder?

[Winston001]

I seem to remember crossing a shared bridge somewhere in the Sarf Island years ago. Shared in that both rail and road used the same (single width) deck - rail lines ran down the middle.

Kurow in the Waitaki Valley until the early 80s.