The Tāmaki Bridge is a bridge along the Great South Road crossing the

Tāmaki River The Tāmaki River or Tāmaki Estuary is mostly an estuarial arm and harbour of the Hauraki Gulf, within the city of Auckland in New Zealand.

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, connecting the suburbs of

Ōtāhuhu Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...

and

Papatoetoe Papatoetoe is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest suburb in Auckland by population and is located to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau Central, and southeast of Auckland CBD. Papatoetoe was traditionally an important area fo ...

. The first bridge opened in 1851, and was significantly widened in 1932.

History

The first Tāmaki Bridge opened in 1851, and led to greater settlement of

and the areas of Auckland south of the

Tāmaki River The Tāmaki River or Tāmaki Estuary is mostly an estuarial arm and harbour of the Hauraki Gulf, within the city of Auckland in New Zealand.

. The original bridge was constructed from scoria piers connected by wooden platforms, and was rebuilt in 1859. In the late 19th century, traffic accidents caused damage to the sides of the bridge, leading the Manukau County to make it an offence to drive over the bridge faster than walking pace. By the 1920s,

residents and Auckland road users lobbied the borough council to reconstruct the bridge, which had developed a reputation for being dangerous and poor quality. In 1932, the Ōtāhuhu Borough Council and Manukau County Council significantly widened the bridge, concreting the archway and road overtop of the original bridge. In 1955, the

Auckland Southern Motorway The Auckland Southern Motorway (also known as the Southern Motorway, and historically as the Auckland–Hamilton Motorway) is the major route south out of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand State Highway 1, State High ...

opened between

Mount Wellington Mount Wellington may refer to: Mountains * Mount Wellington (British Columbia), in Canada * Mount Wellington (New York), in Otsego County, New York, United States * Mount Wellington (Tasmania), in Tasmania, Australia * Mount Wellington (Victoria) ...

and Redoubt Road. This included a new motorway bridge, constructed to the east of the Tāmaki Bridge.

References

{{Authority control 1850s architecture in New Zealand 1930s architecture in New Zealand Bridges in Auckland Bridges completed in 1851 Bridges completed in 1932 Tāmaki River