Location
The bridge spans the Avon River at the end of Cashel Mall.
Description
A stone bridge spanning the Avon River with a large ornate archway spanning the East end of the bridge. It is a War Memorial erected by the citizens of Christchurch to initially honour the sacrifice made during the 1914–1918 Great War, in 1923.
Canterbury earthquakes
The Bridge of Remembrance was structurally damaged in the 22 February 2011 earthquake, but inspections soon after suggested it was stable. There was no apparent worsening of the structure as a result of the aftershocks on 13 June 2011 and 23 December 2011.
From January to April 2012 tests were carried out to determine the ground conditions around the bridge abutments. This information is essential as part of the design process to develop the best permanent repair strategy for the Bridge. Options for permanently repairing the Bridge and Arch were investigated throughout 2012.
Bridge of Remembrance repairs progressing well
Bridge of Remembrance
Work continues on the bridge, with all but the northeast abutment complete. The stone has been removed to expose cracks in the concrete. The cracks have been cleaned out and sealed in preparation for being injected with grout. A number of steel tubes are inserted into the concrete to inject the grout specifically into the crack cavities, which adds to the strength and resilience of the structure.
Triumphal Arch
Installing the piles up to 24 metres deep is one of the critical paths to strengthen the arch.
When contractors started to install the first test pile an unexpected hard layer was experienced at depth of approximately four metres so the contractors have been working with the specialist engineers to consider the most appropriate piling option given the unique ground conditions encountered. Micro-piling will commence next month. Micro-piling is the preferred option when trying to limit vibrations in the immediate area.
Work that can be seen on-site presently is:
- Extensive scaffold to enable the detailed investigation work within the arch and removal of the remains of the old engineered timber formworks used in previous construction of the arch.
- A temporary access track beside to the river to accommodate low-level piling operations required for the arch strengthening work.
Visitor information is available at the site. You can download a copy of this here: short history of the Bridge of Remembrance [PDF 1MB]
