Original Structure
The viaduct was opened on 3 September 1966 at a cost of NZ$2.26 million, and was constructed as New Zealand's first pair of balanced cantilever bridges. With its long spans, the s-curvature and the varying superelevation of the motorway, it is a complex structure even today, and at the time was ground-breaking design for New Zealand.
While considered a successful design, it was built to far lower earthquake standards than which other New Zealand structures now fulfill, being built to survive only a 1 in 500 year return period earthquake. It could have received significant damage in an earthquake as common as once in 200 years. This made the structure the weakest strategic transport infrastructure link in the Auckland area, with a potential collapse cutting off all motorway transport to the South. Also, during design, temperature stresses were not yet understood to a sufficient degree, leading to increased wear on structural elements.
Read more about this topic: Newmarket Viaduct
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