Cobham Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cobham Bridge |
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Cobham Bridge in 2016 (after 2015 repaint)
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| Carries | Motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians |
| Crosses | Waikato River |
| Owner | NZTA |
| Preceded by | Narrows Bridge |
| Followed by | Victoria Bridge, Hamilton |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 143.3m |
| Width | 9.14m |
| Number of spans | four – 33.5m, 39.6m, 30.5m |
| History | |
| Opened | 1963 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | ADT 2010: 27,606 ADT 2011: 26,600 ADT 2012: 26,214 ADT 2013: 28,249 ADT 2014: 27,510 31,700 (2018) |
The Cobham Bridge is an important bridge in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is 143.3 m (470 ft) long and helps people travel across the Waikato River. You can find it on Cobham Drive, which is part of SH1, a main road in New Zealand.
Contents
What is the Cobham Bridge?
The Cobham Bridge is a type of bridge called a girder bridge. This means it uses strong beams, called girders, to support the road above. It carries cars, bikes, and people safely over the river.
Building the Bridge
The bridge was designed by the Ministry of Works, a government group that used to build big projects in New Zealand. They put up a special plaque at the southern end of the bridge to show this. The Cobham Bridge officially opened on 29 June 1963.
How High is It?
The road on the bridge is about 28 m (92 ft) above sea level. The river bed below is about 3.5 m (11 ft) above sea level. This means the bridge is quite high above the water, allowing boats to pass underneath easily.
Who Was Lord Cobham?
The bridge is named after Lord Cobham. He was the Governor-General of New Zealand when the bridge was opened. A Governor-General is like a representative of the King or Queen in a country. Even though the bridge is named after him, Lord Cobham himself did not open it.
The Opening Ceremony
Many important people attended the opening of the Cobham Bridge. These included Mrs. Lance Adams-Schneider, Mayor Denis Rogers (who was the mayor of Hamilton at the time), and Stan Goosman, who was the Minister of Works. The Minister of Works was in charge of big building projects for the government.
Images for kids
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Cobham Bridge in 2016 (after 2015 repaint)
