HIGHEST - Rail Bridge on NIMT, Matakote, North Is. New Zealand.
S 39° 16.003 E 175° 23.440
60H E 361166 N 5652390
The awesome Makatote Viaduct, crossing the Makatote River flowing from the lower slopes of Mt Ruapehu, is the HIGHEST rail bridge structure on the North Island Main Trunk Line.
Waymark Code: WMV9PF
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 03/19/2017
Views: 1
Built in 1905-1908 this distinctive rail bridge is 79 metres high and 262 metres long. It was the last structure built on the North Is Main Trunk, completing the railway line from Auckland to Christchurch.
Interesting Facts:
The Viaduct is 262 metres in length and 79 metres high. It is the third highest rail bridge in the whole of New Zealand but it is the HIGHEST on the North Is Main Trunk Line.
It consists of 10 spans on 11 piers. Spans 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 are steel plate girders, spans 4-8 are steel Pratt trusses each 30.5m long. Piers 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 and 11 are of reinforced concrete with piers 4 to 8 being steel trestles on reinforced concrete footings.
Located on the North Island Main Trunk Line between Ohakune and National Park, the viaduct crosses over the deep river gorge of the Makatote Rover, while the SH4 road loops around the sides of the gorge. A rest area on the roadside provides a good view point of the viaduct and contains an information panel alongside an Engineering Plaque Monument.
Built by J and A Anderson Ltd of Christchurch to a design by P.S. Hay, the last girder was placed on 4 June 1908, following which the cableway was dismantled to allow earthworks and track laying to be completed on 3 August 1908.
The Information Panel states that this distinctive viaduct was the last and highest structure constructed on the NIMT (North Is Main Trunk).
Type of documentation of superlative status: https://www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/itemdetail.cfm?itemid=2174
Location of coordinates: The roadside rest area with Information Panel and Plaque.
Web Site: [Web Link]
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