Almost 100-year-old Horowhenua bridge put through its paces in earthquake test

The resilience of our old bridges to stand up to earthquakes is being put to the test in a cutting-edge experiment.

The out-of-service Whirokino Trestle Bridge in the Horowhenua is the guinea pig for the testing.

It’s been through a lot in its 90 years, including earthquakes and flooding.

Now, Auckland University researchers are putting it to one last test, applying about eight tonnes of force to the foundations, similar to the stresses of an earthquake.

Hydraulics do the pushing and pulling on the bridges piles which are measured by sensors.

The real-world experiment will provide data that can be used on bridges around New Zealand.