Opiki Toll Bridge

Opiki Toll Bridge
The bridge in 2013, with the chimney in the centre background
Coordinates40°25′52″S 175°28′05″E / 40.431°S 175.468°E / -40.431; 175.468 (Opiki Toll Bridge)
CrossesManawatū River
LocaleOpiki, Horowhenua, New Zealand
Other names
  • Akers Bridge
  • Rangitāne Swing Bridge
  • Tane Hemp Company Suspension Bridge
  • Tane Suspension Bridge
Characteristics
DesignSuspension bridge
MaterialSteel, concrete
Total length145.4 metres (477 ft)
History
DesignerJoseph Dawson
OpenedApril 1918 (1918-04)
Designated31 October 2013
Reference no.9619
Location
Interactive map of Opiki Toll Bridge

The Opiki Toll Bridge or the Tane Hemp Company Suspension Bridge is a derelict bridge in Opiki, Horowhenua, New Zealand, that crosses the Manawatū River. It was opened in 1918 by a local flax company and was converted to a toll road in the 1920s after the firm failed. After the State Highway 56 bridge opened across the same river in 1969, the deck of the bridge was removed. It is listed under Heritage New Zealand as a Category I historic place. With a distance of 145.4 metres (477 ft) between the bridge's towers, it had, at the time of its construction, the longest main span of a bridge in New Zealand.