When it was built in 1882, the Alexandra Bridge was one of the country’s largest, strongest and most beautiful bridges, a feat of engineering. In 2013 the surviving piers, towers and abutments of the bridge are a monument to the skills of its engineer Leslie Duncan Macgeorge. The structures have withstood the power of the Clutha/Mata-au, one of New Zealand’s largest and swiftest rivers, for over 130 years. Though these structures are the remnants of the suspension bridge, the decking and cables having been removed in 1958, they are a reminder of the importance of bridges in this water-riven country.
Alexandra sits at the confluence of the Clutha/Mata-au and Manuherikia Rivers. Residents were keen for a bridge to replace the first river crossing service – a punt which had to negotiate the fearsome Clutha/Mata-au. When flooding in 1878 washed away the nearest bridge upstream at Clyde, the need for a bridge became urgent.
Vincent County engineer Leslie Duncan Macgeorge (1854-1939) designed for Alexandra a suspension bridge with two imposing schist stone piers and towers and abutments, with the assistance of consulting engineer Robert Hay (1847-1928). At the time of its construction, it was the longest suspension bridge in the country, exceeding the length of Macgeorge’s earlier suspension bridge designs. The total length of the roadway from bank to bank was 554 feet (168 metres). The centre arch was 262 feet 6 inches (close to 80 metres). The abutment on the east side was a solid mass of masonry 83 feet long and 26 feet high (25 by 8 metres) made up of blocks of stone on piles of totara and black pine, covered with a double deck of planking. The suspension wires were fixed to anchor rods. On the west site the moorings and pier were all on solid rock. The piers rose over 90 feet (27 metres) from the bedrock in the river. Eight three inch cables supported the structure. The height above the river at the centre of the bridge was 40 to 50 feet (12-15 metres).
Construction began in 1879 with Jeremiah Drummey (b.1833), William Beresford and James Simmond, winning the contract. Alexandra Bridge opened amidst local fanfare on 1 June 1882.
Alexandra Bridge was a key link on State Highway 8. By the 1950s however, the increasing traffic load was deemed to be too much for the single lane structure. A new bridge was built in 1958, parallel and just upstream of the old bridge. The old bridge’s suspension cables and decks were removed. The piers and towers, abutments and cable anchorages remain.
The Alexandra Bridge Piers and Towers and Abutments have outstanding engineering significance as the legacy of the important late nineteenth century local engineer, Macgeorge. They are a lasting tribute to the technical skill of both Macgeorge and the bridge’s contractors because of the bridge’s scale, design and survival. The structures are landmarks in Central Otago.
In 2013 the remaining elements of the Alexandra Bridge are an icon for the town.
Alexandra sits at the confluence of the Clutha/Mata-au and Manuherikia Rivers. Residents were keen for a bridge to replace the first river crossing service – a punt which had to negotiate the fearsome Clutha/Mata-au. When flooding in 1878 washed away the nearest bridge upstream at Clyde, the need for a bridge became urgent.
Vincent County engineer Leslie Duncan Macgeorge (1854-1939) designed for Alexandra a suspension bridge with two imposing schist stone piers and towers and abutments, with the assistance of consulting engineer Robert Hay (1847-1928). At the time of its construction, it was the longest suspension bridge in the country, exceeding the length of Macgeorge’s earlier suspension bridge designs. The total length of the roadway from bank to bank was 554 feet (168 metres). The centre arch was 262 feet 6 inches (close to 80 metres). The abutment on the east side was a solid mass of masonry 83 feet long and 26 feet high (25 by 8 metres) made up of blocks of stone on piles of totara and black pine, covered with a double deck of planking. The suspension wires were fixed to anchor rods. On the west site the moorings and pier were all on solid rock. The piers rose over 90 feet (27 metres) from the bedrock in the river. Eight three inch cables supported the structure. The height above the river at the centre of the bridge was 40 to 50 feet (12-15 metres).
Construction began in 1879 with Jeremiah Drummey (b.1833), William Beresford and James Simmond, winning the contract. Alexandra Bridge opened amidst local fanfare on 1 June 1882.
Alexandra Bridge was a key link on State Highway 8. By the 1950s however, the increasing traffic load was deemed to be too much for the single lane structure. A new bridge was built in 1958, parallel and just upstream of the old bridge. The old bridge’s suspension cables and decks were removed. The piers and towers, abutments and cable anchorages remain.
The Alexandra Bridge Piers and Towers and Abutments have outstanding engineering significance as the legacy of the important late nineteenth century local engineer, Macgeorge. They are a lasting tribute to the technical skill of both Macgeorge and the bridge’s contractors because of the bridge’s scale, design and survival. The structures are landmarks in Central Otago.
In 2013 the remaining elements of the Alexandra Bridge are an icon for the town.
