High level bridge turns 110 years old
Victoria Bridge’s 110th anniversary is this year. delves into its history as part of our series.
The high-level bridge in Cambridge, notoriously known for getting large vehicles stuck, turns 110 this year.
The Victoria Bridge was built in 1907. Its design, age and limited capacity has ensured it remained a hot topic of debate for over a century.
In 1864 when Cambridge was founded, river punting was the only thing connecting Cambridge East and West.
In 1899 the idea of a bridge was proposed. The present site was decided upon in 1901 and the borough council of the time reaffirmed the Government promise of $3000 towards erecting the bridge in 1903.
It became the first hinged braced arch bridge in Australasia.
The bridge can only handle a limited weight and width, so trucks and campervans are required to take an alternative route.
But that doesn’t stop drivers from trying.
In October 2015, a truck driver from out of town drove a tanker over it, damaging parts of the railing.
It is only a 3 tonne bridge, so the driver was at risk of plummeting into the Waikato River below.
Campervans and horse floats have also been caught on the bridge, with Cambridge people turning to a community Facebook page to laugh or complain about it.
The bridge sits 35.4 metres above the water, spans 141 metres and has a Historic Places Trust category one classification.
The orange median markers rebound after being hit, with little damage to cars.
They are replaced regularly, depending how much they have been hit or damaged.
In 1913, from August 3 - 9, 2422 motorists, 485 bikes, 384 dogs, 1346 vehicles, 326 sheep, 809 cattle, two traction engines and two waggons travelled across the bridge.
It was re-decked in 1964 and was treated to a $400,000 facelift in 1978 with sandblasting and repainting.
In 1995 a weight limit of 2000 kilograms and speed limit of 25km was imposed. A new 3m height restriction barrier with a swinging base was erected.
In 1998 with the roundabout at the Cook St end, traffic backed onto the bridge in peak traffic times but it was still deemed safe.
The footpaths were added in 1924 at a cost of $2100, and were widened by the Waipa District Council in 2014.
They were widened to 40cm to ensure both pedestrians and mobility scooters could cross the bridge safely.