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Design Builder & Contractor: United Civil Construction
Project Background:
In early 2020, the Government announced a 110 million investment in Northland to upgrade and properly maintain the Northland Rail to bring it up to the same standard as the rest of New Zealand’s rail network.
The Northland Line is over 100 years old and rail freight services are often disrupted due to weather events. The rail tunnels & bridges on the main north line are very old so the line has lower weight limits and lower speeds than the rest of the network. This means it cannot carry the same freight volumes as elsewhere on the network. Not only does this cost money, but valuable time also and time is money.
The investment included upgrades to 5 bridges on the line, one of these being Bridge 168, located South of Whangarei. Moddex was contracted by United Civil Construction on this project to supply guardrails to both sides of the bridge.
Why was Moddex product selected?
Low lifetime cost of ownership
Due to the bridge’s proximity to water, a guardrail that could withstand corrosive conditions was required. Our modular marine grade aluminium system was a perfect solution as aluminium creates a passivation layer that helps resist oxidation and corrosion.
Outstanding corrosion resistance meant that our Moddex Aluminium system required less maintenance than a steel and galvanised product. This was of particular benefit for the client. Due to the bridge’s remote location and being a main rail line for transportation, access for maintenance would be difficult and time consuming. The total lifetime cost of ownership of Moddex’s Aluminium solution was significantly reduced due to lower maintenance cost.
Client Feedback:
The handrails fit together so perfectly – no issue in the locking together of this purchase.
United Civil Construction
Read more about the project here
