One of the country’s oldest bridges celebrates its 125th anniversary

More than 200 people, a marching band and a procession of vintage cars showed up to mark the 125th anniversary of one of Taranaki’s most beloved monuments.

Since opening on July 15, 1897, the Bertrand Rd Wooden Suspension Bridge has survived flooding, a two-decade period of closure, and the threat of dismantling.

“There wouldn’t be many older, I don’t think,” New Plymouth District Council Deputy Mayor Richard Jordan said during Sunday’s festivities. “I don’t know if it’s unique, but it’s for us.”

Jordan said the bridge, which is 61 meters long and connects Huirangi, near Lepperton, and Tikorangi in northern Taranaki, is “one of our little heirlooms.”

READ MORE:
* Vintage cars take center stage at Taranaki . rally
* Lots of water under the Bertrand Rd Suspension Bridge
* Mixed Reactions To The New Restrictions Of Historic Wooden Suspension Bridge

“People do ask where the Bertrand Rd bridge is, but we all know where it is and always have,” he said.

A travel website has included it on a list of the 160 most spectacular bridges in the world, and Jordan said a daredevil pilot trained in Bell Block during the war flew his Tiger Moth under them.

“Damned crazy really,” Jordan laughed. “If you consider what they flew under the bridge. And the height between water and bridge is 10 meters.”

But such a gap does not always exist. Rob Green of New Plymouth recalled looking at the bridge during the great flood of 1965.

“The logs came down the river here and just slammed into the bridge,” he said. “That’s how high the water was. And some silly people walked out there and watched the logs crash into the bridge, right where they were.”

While that kind of damage was extreme, everyday use eventually started to take its toll. In 1985 the bridge was closed to traffic and in 2004 pedestrians were also barred.

With rising costs, the New Plymouth District Council was looking at demolition

In response, the Bertrand Rd Suspension Bridge Trust was established, raising $670,000 through a mix of donations, sponsored boards, and a grant from the Taranaki Electricity Trust (TET).

The bridge reopened in 2006 with a weight limit of 4 tons and the city district is responsible for its maintenance.

“One of the things we were quite adamant about was that we didn’t want a new bridge here,” said trust secretary Peter Wilson. “We wanted to get these fixed. It took some effort to do that.”

Wilson, who has farmed in the area for more than 50 years, said it was “the only bridge to be closed to traffic for 21 years, rebuilt to its original design and then reopened”.

“It’s part of us.”

New Plymouth District Councilor Colin Johnston, who is chairman of the Bertrand Rd Suspension Bridge Trust, agreed.

“It was too easy for them to say, ‘No, we won’t have it anymore.’ That happens with many historic buildings and even bridges like this, it’s so easy for them to destroy them and build something new or nothing at all.

“It’s really important that the trust has kept it going.”

Johnston said he was delighted with the turnout for the celebration, which included the New Plymouth Brass and the New Plymouth Caledonian Highland Pipe Band.

“We didn’t really know how many would be coming so it’s really gratifying to see so many people enjoying themselves here because it only happens once every 125 years.

“The pleasure people get when they cross this bridge is fantastic, and it is not repeated anywhere else in New Zealand.”