Rejuvenation of the Makatote rail viaduct – a historic steel structure in New Zealand

Makatote viaduct is a steel rail viaduct located on the North Island of New Zealand. It is the third-tallest railway viaduct in the country (79m high and 262m long), and holds significant heritage value due to its elegance and the technology used at the time of construction circa 1908. The viaduct had begun to suffer from deterioration of its 50-year-old coating, resulting in corrosion which subsequently led to section losses of steel elements. In addition to the refurbishment work required, New Zealand Railways (KiwiRail) wished to upgrade the viaduct to meet future load requirements. The viaduct was refurbished and strengthened under an 'early contractor involvement' procurement method. This paper describes the journey the design team took from onset to completion of the project in November 2016.