Deadman's Point Bridge
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Deadman's Point Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 45°02′19″S 169°13′16″E / 45.03861°S 169.22111°E |
| Carries | 2 lanes of State Highway 8B |
| Crosses | Lake Dunstan |
| Owner | New Zealand Transport Agency |
| Preceded by | Deadman's Point Footbridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Steel |
| Trough construction | concrete |
| Total length | 272 metres (892 ft) |
| Width | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Water depth | 35 metres (115 ft) |
| Longest span | 40 metres (130 ft) |
| Piers in water | 4 |
| Clearance below | 9 metres (30 ft) on true left of lake |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| History | |
| Designer | Ministry of Works and Development |
| Built | 1986 |
| Replaces | Cromwell Bridge |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Deadman's Point Bridge | |
Deadman's Point Bridge crosses Lake Dunstan at Cromwell, Central Otago, as part of New Zealand's State Highway 8 (SH8). A short spur section, SH8B, joins SH8 on the true left bank of Lake Dunstan, crossing Deadman's Point Bridge to meet State Highway 6 immediately west of Cromwell.
Etymology
The origin of the name Deadman's Point appears uncertain,[1] although an early account suggests the narrow headland of schist bedrock at Deadman's Point made the Clutha River (Māori: Mata-Au) a perilous crossing:
It is so-called because a man once fell from the suspension bridge which still spans the river there. He was found stiff and cold next morning, dead from heart failure. This grim story, and also the local legend that the bodies of the unfortunates who were drowned higher up the Clutha in the early days were invariably washed up at this point...
— Waipukurau Press, 28(173), 19 July 1933[2]
Clyde Dam
Deadman's Point Bridge was built to replace Cromwell Bridge which was flooded in 1992–93 with the filling of Lake Dunstan. The Clyde Dam hydroelectric project caused the impoundment of the Clutha River at the mouth of the Cromwell Gorge near Clyde. With a head of 60 m (200 ft), the Cromwell Gorge and much of Cromwell's old town was flooded, necessitating a new highway through the gorge as well as a new bridge to cross Lake Dunstan.
Construction of Deadman's Point Bridge followed a lengthy debate on where the new bridge into Cromwell should be located.[3] Numerous options were considered during the early design phases of the Clyde Dam, including a bridge at the same location as the old bridge (but higher), two bridges connecting Cornish Point, a bridge extending from Cromwell's Neplusultra Street, and the Deadman's Point location.[3][4]