Christchurch Airport overbridge - the decorative arches

Forums › Travel (planes, train, cruise) › Christchurch Airport overbridge - the decorative arches - lovely or an expensive folly?

amiga500

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#214322 6-May-2017 18:23

Great progress is being made on Memorial Ave overbridge, however installing the decorative archways over the top seems to be a huge and difficult engineering challenge which is slowing the project down. If ever a feature fitted into the 'nice to have' category these arches would have to be it.

I don't have a photo but to fit them a massive steel structure has been put in place on top of the overbridge, & an equally massive crane brought in to install them. Here is the nzta project page

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/christchurch-motorways/christchurch-western-corridor/sh1-russley-road/

If you search google images for Russley overbridge you will see what I am talking about the white curved tube things are to be put together into the arches.

Incoporating the arches was a great way for the architect to win the contract I guess but are they really needed? Why not just do some nice planting of nz native shrubs and plants on the banks & open the freaking thing! Who is it really going to impress anyway? Maybe tourists in their motor homes for a brief few seconds. However, that first favourable view of NZ will be erased once they motor into Arthurs Pass township & have to use the filthiest public toilets in the South Island. (Sorry for the digression.)

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#1776934 6-May-2017 18:43

You could say the same about most decoration. What would St. Pancras station be without all its decoration ?

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

stormcloud

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#1776959 6-May-2017 20:20

It's the gateway to the city, I think it's worth it. We will have forgotten the cost in a couple of years.

amiga500

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#1776985 6-May-2017 21:27

rb99:

You could say the same about most decoration. What would St. Pancras station be without all its decoration ?

Yes! Good point. That station is much loved by the guys who do reviews on smart phone cameras.

amiga500

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#1776987 6-May-2017 21:29

stormcloud:

It's the gateway to the city, I think it's worth it. We will have forgotten the cost in a couple of years.

Let's hope the young fit taggers of the city forget about it immediately. (-;

BlakJak

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#1776988 6-May-2017 21:35

I was admiring it on Thursday wondering what would happen if they miscalculated and the two ends didn't meet :-)

No signature to see here, move along...

amiga500

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#1778631 9-May-2017 17:43

I will try to upload a couple of photos. First one is from a distance to show the cranes & a second one to show the big steel structure. It's had the retro filter applied to it so colours look strange.

vexxxboy

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#1778632 9-May-2017 17:48

it must be the in thing to do , they are building a big roundabout at the entrance to Rotorua and the council is spending $500,000 on a sculpture for the middle of it ,looks nice but the council also said they have to raise rates 3.5% .

Common sense is not as common as you think.

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mattwnz

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#1778636 9-May-2017 17:59

I can't tell if it is structural or not, as normally they would be used as suspension arches. However it is potentially better to make it look better, and make it an iconic gateway. I think it looks pretty good, and better than the bridge by itself.

There are too many ugly bridges around. Also it is better than a council paying for some separate gateway sculpture on the roadside, that maybe tiny and looks IMO looks terrible, and you only see for about 3 seconds as you drive past it, like a local council near me has done. Someone should have a website with all the ugly structures and buildings in NZ on it.

mattwnz

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#1778637 9-May-2017 18:00

vexxxboy:

it must be the in thing to do , they are building a big roundabout at the entrance to Rotorua and the council is spending $500,000 on a sculpture for the middle of it ,looks nice but the council also said they have to raise rates 3.5% .

Yes it seems most councils are spending big on gateway sculptures. Although many councils seem to be spending up big before they are forced to merge.

rb99

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#1778654 9-May-2017 18:23

Now this is what you call a bridge. Would look good out side Christchurch, though my personal preference would be Whakatane...

...OK, so its just an excuse to include my fav bridge

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

Behodar

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#1778657 9-May-2017 18:28

rb99:

Now this is what you call a bridge. Would look good out side Christchurch, though my personal preference would be Whakatane...

...OK, so its just an excuse to include my fav bridge

Ahh, the Quay St to Coastlands Express! To be installed shortly after the subway connection to Ohope.

rb99

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#1778678 9-May-2017 19:08

Behodar:

rb99:

Now this is what you call a bridge. Would look good out side Christchurch, though my personal preference would be Whakatane...

...OK, so its just an excuse to include my fav bridge

Ahh, the Quay St to Coastlands Express! To be installed shortly after the subway connection to Ohope.

That'll do me. Though was thinking maybe this for the Ohope route -

Hasn't been much of a success in London for Emirates, maybe they could send it over. Wonder if we could get Air Chathams to sponsor it....

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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mattwnz

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#1778681 9-May-2017 19:12

rb99:

Now this is what you call a bridge. Would look good out side Christchurch, though my personal preference would be Whakatane...

...OK, so its just an excuse to include my fav bridge

Although that is a suspension bridge, so what looks like decoration is structural and is needed. By the loos of it, the bridge that the OP refers to, the loop parts are purely decorative. Maybe they could have saved money and turned it into a suspension bridge instead.

rb99

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#1778682 9-May-2017 19:17

Pedantic alert - think its actually a cable stayed bridge. Anyway, I just included it to show something simple And functional And beautiful, though I'm all for a bit of decoration, or even a lot of decoration, even if it means parting with a bit of extra money.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

amiga500

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#1778793 9-May-2017 21:39

mattwnz:

I can't tell if it is structural or not, as normally they would be used as suspension arches. However it is potentially better to make it look better, and make it an iconic gateway. I think it looks pretty good, and better than the bridge by itself.

There are too many ugly bridges around. Also it is better than a council paying for some separate gateway sculpture on the roadside, that maybe tiny and looks IMO looks terrible, and you only see for about 3 seconds as you drive past it, like a local council near me has done. Someone should have a website with all the ugly structures and buildings in NZ on it.

Closer up they look too flimsy to be structural, but I am no engineer.

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