Perry bridge wins Structural Awards 2018 for pedestrian bridges

Waikato's Perry Bridge, located in New Zealand, received the international "Structural Award 2018" for pedestrian bridges.

Structural Awards are being held since 1968 by the Institution of Structural Engineers. Their purpose is to reward innovative structural projects that are organized in 10 categories since 2006.

Perry bridge is the longest network arch bridge in New Zealand and the first designed for pedestrians. The 130m. long construction, that opened in 2017, is a magnificent architectural design which fully adapts with Waikato River and the its natural surroundings. It was designed by structural and civil engineering business Holmes Consulting, and built by Emmetts Civil Construction.

Jennifer Palmer, general manager of Brian Perry Charitable Trust that contributed to the realization of the project, stated that acknowledgement in a global level is highly important. "It's a credit not only to our amazing design and construction teams — Emmetts and Holmes Group — but also to the working group who turned the dream in a reality. That includes Waikato District Council, NZTA, the Te Awa River Ride Trust and the dozens of funders and other contributors — as well as the wider community who supported this project from the very beginning," she said.

Its competitors were:

• The Knostrop Footbridge in Leeds
• The  Somers Town Bridge in London and
• The Suzhou Dajia, Double Bridges in China

According to the judges of the awards, the design of the bridge is unique and attractive. "This beautiful arched bridge has captured the public imagination and its image, and the elegance of the design has helped significantly in the fundraising for the project. The way that the bridge was launched is thought to be unique. The bridge steelwork was constructed on the bank, cables were tensioned across the gap and the leading edge of the bridge was drawn across, sliding on skids on the cables. This most ingenious method only took two hours and a tracked excavator to get the bridge in place," they stated.