Ferntown Bridge

Ferntown Bridge
Ferntown Bridge under construction in 1902 or 1903
Coordinates	40°40′30″S172°39′40″E / 40.67501°S 172.6612°E / -40.67501; 172.6612
Carries	road traffic
Crosses	Aorere River
Locale	Golden Bay / Mohua
Named for	the locality to the north of the bridge
Owner	Tasman District Council
Characteristics
No. of lanes	One
History
Designer	Public Works Department
Construction start	1902
Construction end	1903
Inaugurated	1905
Location

The Ferntown Bridge spans the Aorere River just upstream from Collingwood in New Zealand. The Aorere River is a major river in Golden Bay / Mohua, and the Ferntown Bridge was opened in 1905, significantly improving the ability for locals to travel within the district.

Etymology

The Ferntown Bridge connects Collingwood with the locality Ferntown on the north side of the Aorere River. Ferntown was named by early European settlers after Ferntown in Scotland. ^[1]

History

Locals petitioned for a bridge to be built crossing the Aorere River near Collingwood. The bridge was for the benefits of settlers in "West Wanganui, Pākawau [and areas further north], Ferntown and Kaituna districts". J. Shaw of Pākawau had initiated the petition. At the time, travel was along the beach, fording various creeks and inlets, with three hours at most per tide available at the inlets. There was also a rough river ford some distance upstream from Collingwood, and a bridge some 5 mi (8.0 km) upriver, too far out of the way to be useful for the communities that petitioned. Thomas Roberts, a chartered engineer from Nelson working for the Public Works Department, was commissioned in July 1899 to produce a feasibility study. The study was published in the Golden Bay Argus in March 1900. ^{[2] [3]}

In July 1900, the chairman of the Collingwood County Council (Andrew Sinclair ^[4] ) and councillor Alfred Peart ^[5] were sent to Wellington as a deputation to lobby government on behalf of the district's residents for a bridge grant. ^{[6] [7]} In Wellington, the deputation negotiated with government ministers. Roderick McKenzie, who represented the Motueka electorate, ^[a] was supportive of the deputation's aim. At that time, the government through the Minister of Lands (Thomas Young Duncan ^[9] ) had just approved a pound-for-pound grant for protective work at the bridge in Tākaka over the Tākaka River. ^[10]

The deputation was successful, and a bridge design had been completed by the Public Works Department by September 1901. Tenders were invited in March 1902. ^{[11] [12]} The contract was won by Fraser and Co of Dunedin, with the iron work supplied by A. & T. Burt of the same town. ^[13] The government agreed to also take care of the approaches to the bridge, ^[14] and this work was tendered for in December 1903. ^[15] At that time, the bridge itself had been completed, but it was not usable as several small bridges on the river flats north of the Ferntown Bridge had to be built as well. It was not until 1905 that this additional work was completed, and the Ferntown Bridge officially opened. ^[13]

Bridge structure

Iron cylinders were driven into the river by October 1902. ^[16] These cylinders were filled with concrete and thus formed the foundations for the concrete piers. Six timber trusses of 24.4 m (80 ft) length created the superstructure. ^[13]

In 1962, the timber trusses were replaced with plate girders. ^[13] The construction method was to place the plate girders above their resting place, then explode the timber trusses and drop them into the river below, before lowering the plate girders onto the piers. ^[17] Concrete slabs, each weighing 2.25 t (2.21 long tons; 2.48 short tons), formed the decking. ^[18]

Footnotes

1. From 1896 to 1946, the Motueka electorate covered all of Mohua / Golden Bay. ^[8]

References

Media related to Ferntown Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

1. Reed, A. W. (2010). Peter Dowling (ed.). Place Names of New Zealand. Rosedale, North Shore: Raupo. p. 123. ISBN   9780143204107.
2. "Collingwood–Ferntown Bridge". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VI, no. 200. 29 March 1900. p. 4. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
3. "Thursday, July 12th, 1900". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VII, no. 6. 12 July 1900. p. 5. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
4. "The Motueka seat". The Colonist . Vol. XLIII, no. 9650. 1 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
5. "Annual election". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VI, no. 154. 11 May 1899. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
6. "The Golden Bay Argus". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VII, no. 7. 19 July 1900. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
7. "Collingwood County Council". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VII, no. 4. 28 June 1900. p. 4. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
8. McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. pp. 63–97. ISBN   0-477-01384-8.
9. Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 73. OCLC   154283103.
10. "Collingwood County Council". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VII, no. 8. 26 July 1900. p. 4. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
11. "Mining". Nelson Evening Mail . Vol. XXXV, no. 209. 12 September 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
12. "The Golden Bay Argus". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VII, no. 85. 16 January 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
13. Thornton, Geoffrey (2001). Bridging the Gap: Early Bridges in New Zealand 1830–1939. Auckland: Reed Publishing Ltd. pp. 110–111.
14. "The Golden Bay Argus". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VIII, no. 19. 9 October 1902. p. 4. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
15. "The Golden Bay Argus". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. IX, no. 30. 24 December 1903. p. 4. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
16. "The Golden Bay Argus". Golden Bay Argus. Vol. VIII, no. 21. 23 October 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
17. "Ferntown Bridge work proceeds". Nelson Photo News. No. 23. 15 September 1962. p. 13. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
18. "New Ferntown Bridge". Nelson Photo News. No. 19. 26 May 1962. p. 59. Retrieved 21 August 2025.