Clive Bridge Shared Path

Ever imagined traveling over a bridge made from plastic bags? Well, stop imagining—you can. Spanning 150 metres across the river between Napier and Hastings is Clive Bridge, possibly the most environmentally friendly bridge in New Zealand made from 4.2 million recycled plastic bags diverted from landfill and turned into lightweight plastic pavers.

The bridge is part of a wider cycle network and creates an attractive walking and cycling path to connect communities in Hawke’s Bay. It’s also much safer now—the earlier path provision was deemed unsafe and unsuitable—the new three-metre wide path is separated from traffic by rails of a high urban design standard with integrated LED lighting that also creates a pleasant ambience.

We led all aspects of this project including extensive investigation and analysis, consultation with affected parties, funding applications, concept and detailed designs, resource and building consent applications, structural options reports, contract documentation, and construction management. We had robust project management approaches in line with New Zealand Transport Agency requirements, and our comprehensive assessment of the project ensured funding approval was granted promptly. 

So, the next time you’re about to throw out some soft plastic, imagine walking over Clive Bridge.