An innovative fibreglass bridge said to be “as strong as steel” with the potential to save regional councils across the country “millions of dollars” is touring the country this month.

The bridge, which its makers claim can last for 100 years, is being towed on a trailer and showcased at regional councils from Wellington to Auckland and smaller provincial centres across the North Island. 

Bridge It NZ business manager Kim Bevins says the team is excited about the tour as it gives New Zealanders the opportunity to experience this revolutionary bridge first hand.

“The problem with many New Zealand bridges is they have limited lifespans, with wooden bridges lasting around 15 years, 50 years if they are steel, but these bridges need ongoing maintenance, and some of these bridges you need to replace three times in 100 years.

“Councils don’t want to replace bridges every 20 years. They need to focus on other important matters for the community, and they recognise it is an investment piece; you only pay for quality once,” says Kim.

According to Kim, on average the bridge is 40 per cent lower in embodied carbon over the project cycle with low CO² emissions from the manufacturing and transportation.

He says the timing couldn’t be better, as the cost of civing crisis has made us all really look at the true cost of things.

“The bridge is made of sustainable materials, is recyclable and is designed to be walked and cycled on, but in the future we can build them for cars and trucks. 

“Vehicle bridges are the future, we could replace all of them in New Zealand and never have to replace them again in our generation,” he says.

Bevins says the bridge uses patented InfraCore® Inside technology, made of fibreglass, it can be manufactured to be as strong as steel and can span to any length, but it was light enough that a big strong rugby team could carry the 11m version.

“It is perfect for Aotearoa’s conditions, in that it is suited to coastal and geothermal environments – it doesn’t rust - most New Zealand bridges aren’t able to resist corrosion.”