New Zealand's Bridges: Hereford Street Bridge across the Avon River in Christchurch

March 2011 (-43.532 Degrees, 172.633 Degrees) Hereford Street Bridge

Continuing downstream another couple of hundred feet we reach the Hereford Street Bridge. We are now in the City Center and the Avon River is crossed by many bridges. The river is less than two hundred feet wide, but it will continue to widen as we approach the Pacific. These single span, haunched 'T' girder bridges are a good choice for a two hundred foot span. 

The Hereford Street Bridge was built in 1938 and has Art Deco details. There are pedestals at the abutments that support attractive lampposts. Winglike details extend from the abutments along the exterior girders. There are highly decorative railings. A brief Christchurch Libraries Article (online) provides photos of the new and old bridges and calls the current bridge a new type of structure: a 'rigid frame' or 'square arch.'

New Zealand's Bridges: Hereford Street Bridge across the Avon River in Christchurch by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.