Bridge story

                              My prior knowledge

It goes from panmure to pakuranga And Panmure bridge is next to kaihiku.
What did people use before the panmure bridge existed?

Before the bridge

Ferry service a ferry service was established by Hemi pepene (James Fairburn) from 1845 to about 1850,

Hemi was adopted son of missionary william furnburn

He built his own ferry boat.New information

Why was a river crossing needed

First bridge

In the 1850s the tamaki river was considered to be one of the busite waterways in NZ

In 1849 there was a ‘’union bridge’’ to link the two villages of Howick and Panmure. And suspension bridge  $100

Prize of $50 for the best plan They had to pay money to cross the bridge it was called a toll

October 1864. They were the longest piles/poles that had ever been used in the province.
First bridge the first panmure bridge was swing bridge Sometimes it took hours to open or close, Most cutters, scows and
trading vessels were sailing ships that needed great skill to negotiate the small opening with difficult tidal rips.
Second bridge
In 1913 it was obvious that a new bridge would be required. Reinforced concrete (158.5m) in length and 30 feet (9.21m) wide.
Motor vehicles were displacing horses and a wider bridge was desirable.
14th August 1916 Finally he cut the ribbon and drove a heavy traction engine across the new bridge to prove the ability
of the structure to take heavy loads.However by 1930 serious faults in the new bridge were reported when a large crack
across the full width of the bridge at the southern end was discovered. This bridge was demolished in 1959 after the
present bridge was opened.
Third bridge
A new bridge was built in 1959 This latter bridge is a three-lane reinforced high-level bridge, with the centre lane used for
westwards traffic flow in the morning and eastwards in the afternoon.