Hawaii's Bridges: Akaka Falls State Park Bridges (2)

June 2001 (19.854 Degrees, -155.153 Degrees)Akaka Falls State Park Bridges

My last photo of a bridge on the Island of Hawaii is this little single span steel girder bridge that takes tourists to Akaka Falls. Note the dense foliage.

After visiting Akaka Falls I drove inland across the Saddle Road from the east coast to the west coast of the Big Island. The landscape is very different on this road and I don't remember any bridges between the Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanos and very little vegetation.

Hawaii's Bridges: Akaka Falls State Park Bridges (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

New Zealand's Bridges: Mona Vale Garden Bridges across the Avon River in Christchurch (4)

March 2011 (-43.523 Degrees, 172.609 Degrees) Mono Vale Garden Bridge

We are just west of Christchurch's Central Business District in the affluent residential communities of Riccarton and Fendalton and especially Mona Vale, where this lovely Park sits.

We had previously looked at a profile view of this garden bridge but I wanted to show the timber deck. I thought it was nice that they provide planking in the direction of travel to protect the lower deck and structural elements from the wear and tear of vehicular traffic.

The Park was closed when I visited. Retreating glaciers from the last ice age had deposited loose saturated sands through the region that had liquefied during the earthquake, damaging buildings and bridges in the park and in the city (although this bridge remained open).

The residents of Christchurch were required to remove the ejected soil on their property as a first step in the recovery. People spoke of their 'bit of liquefaction' that had to be placed on the curb for pickup. Probably an attempt for people to feel back in control of their lives. Still, portable latrines stood at every street corner since water and sewer lines had been broken.

New Zealand's Bridges: Mona Vale Garden Bridges across the River Avon in Christchurch (4) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

New Zealand's Bridges: Mona Vale Garden Bridges across the River Avon in Christchurch (1)

March 2011 (-43.523 Degrees, 172.609 Degrees) Mono Vale Garden Bridge

It turned out that I had started my exploration of River Avon bridges a little further to the west than I had at first imagined. There are half a dozen handsome bridges in Mona Vale Park, about 1.5 km east of the Helmores Lane Bridge. All of these little bridges are quite lovely. The park was used by couples wishing to be married and I think there may also be music and theater there. When I was there, it was closed (as was most of Christchurch) by the earthquake, but hopefully it has since reopened (I had to get a special badge to be allowed into Christchurch). 

I don't have my notes with me, but I wonder if this isn't one of those steel stringer bridges masquerading as an arch with a handsome facade? The ever helpful Geoffrey Thornton (author of 'Bridging the Gap, Early New Zealand Bridges') confirmed my suspicion, and included a photo of the same structure, which he calls a garden bridge. The railing is quite nice, almost Art Nouveau in style, or at least attractive enough to be in a painting of a Pre-Raphaelite woman staring Ophelia-like into the waters below.

New Zealand's Bridges: Mona Vale Garden Bridges across the River Avon in Christchurch (1) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Great Britain: New Canal Footbridge in Salisbury

Another pedestrian bridge across the River Avon just south of the Fisherton Street Bridge.

In yesterday's blog I wondered if a steel girder bridge could have a large camber (the Happy Pontist said aye). Today's steel bridge has an even bigger camber! Actually, this bridge is like one of those deck-stiffened arches designed by Robert Maillart (only made of steel instead of concrete).

As we saw yesterday, the bridge's handrail matches the railing used along the nearby paths and houses. However, no child could fall between the closely-spaced bars on today's bridge.

This is a nice area of Salisbury with pretty homes and a path along the river. We can see the Crane Bridge in the distance. I wonder if these huge homes were ever owned by a single family? I would imagine that today, four or five families live on every floor.

Great Britain: New Canal Footbridge in Salisbury by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.