Clifden Suspension Bridge

About

The Clifden Suspension Bridge is a historic suspension bridge near Clifden, New Zealand, with a single lane. Built in 1899, it spans the Waiau River and is 111.5 m long. Designed by the Southland County Engineer C H Howarth, it is a fine example of a 19th-century solid vehicular suspension bridge, with high standard of civil, mechanical and bridge carpentry design.

It still has its historic wooden decking and beams that were made from seasoned core totara wood. It was built during 1898-99 taking about ten months to complete and was opened on 5 April 1899 by Sir Joseph Ward. The bridge is now accessible only to pedestrians since a two lane new concrete bridge was opened downstream in 1978.

In April 2010 the bridge was closed to pedestrian traffic due to safety concerns outlined in a report commissioned by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand), the organization that cares for the bridge. The safety issues were identified after a routine inspection of the bridge after an earthquake the previous year. After repairs, the bridge was re-opened to pedestrians in November 2013.

The bridge, constructed with twenty-seven steel cables attached to concrete pillars (clad...