September_1966 — Page 39

world news

Auckland Bridge Contract for Japanese Firm

THE Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority has accepted a Japanese company's tender of £3,713,000 for extensions to the bridge. Work is expected to begin later this year. The successful tenderer. Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., Tokyo, has undertaken to complete the work in 35 months. The tender was about £400,000 below the company's original quote, due to agreement on adjustments in engineering, techniques and sources of ma- terial, and £435.000 above the estimate of the consul- tants, Freeman Fox and Partners, made more than two years ago.

The authority chairman, Sir John Allum, said re- cently that about 30 per cent of the value of the bridge extension work would be undertaken by New Zealand sub-contractors, The Japanese firm would bring massive floating cranes to lift the 500-ton steel boxes, prefabricat- ed in Japan, into position.

Six tenders were considered for the job, the highest heing £4.676,000 from Dorman Long who built the exist- ing bridge. The second lowest tender was £119,000 above the original quote of the successful tenderer and was from another Japanese firm. Other tenders were from Austria. Germany and Britain.

The extensions will add two lanes on each side of the present four-lane bridge which is among the busiest in the world. The eight-lane bridge will be able to carry more than 33 million vehicles a year.

Giant Toughened Glass Assembly at US Racecourse

THE

owners of Laurel Racecourse, Maryland, USA, have placed an order worth nearly US$250,000 with Pil- kington Bros. Ltd., St. Helens, UK, through Southern Plate Glass Co., Baltimore, for what will probably be the largest suspended "Armourplate" glass assembly in the world.

Laurel Racecourse grandstand

The 800 ft. by 36 ft. glazed area, which will weigh over 130 tons, will enclose the clubhouse and grandstand at the racecourse. The glazed stand, which can accom- modate 15,000 people, will be provided with full heating and air conditioning systems.

The contract calls for the supply of approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of Armourplate glass 12 in. thick for the frontage and 4 in. thick for the vertical supporting fins. In a suspended glazing system, the Armourplate panels are hung from the soffit of the opening by adjust- able bolts. Métal patch fittings connect each panel to its neighbours, and vertical fins of 4 in Armourplate pro- vide support on the cantilever principle. No other sup- ports are used: the glass is simply held in Neoprene lined channels at ground level and at either end, thus providing unobscured vision along the 800 ft. frontage.

Karachi Port Development Enters Second Phase

WORK on Pakistan's £23 million Karachi Port develop- ment scheme will enter its second phase later this year when the German firm of Philipp Holzmann start work on two new quay walls one 2,050 ft. in length and the

other 1,800 ft.

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In the first phase 13 of the existing 17 east wharves berths were reconstructed at a cost of about £10.5 mil- lion. The present phase, estimated at about £13 million. not only caters for the reconstruction of the remaining four east wharves berths, and the rehabilitation of the other old structures, but also the provision of additional facilities.

Artist's impression of the A$32 million bridge to be built over the Lower Yarra River, Melbourne, Australia, for the State Gov- ernment of Victoria. Cables are suspended from two 400 ft. steel towers supporting a 1,000 ft. span 170 ft. above water. Total length of the structure and approach roads will be 24 miles. The London firms, Maunsell and Parners, and Freeman, Fox and Partners are the consulting engineers.

Far East Architect & Builder September, 1966

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