A 1904 bridge in New Zealand has outlived the road traffic it was built to carry. The Mangaweka Cantilever Bridge spans the Rangitīkei River in the central North Island, where its steel trusses have stood for more than a century. Heritage New Zealand reported that when a routine inspection in 2016 found serious structural deterioration, a new crossing was built nearby and the old bridge was closed to vehicles. Yet it was not demolished. Strong local support helped secure its future, and the historic structure reopened for pedestrians and cyclists. Its survival also preserves a rare engineering design, as it remains New Zealand’s only steel cantilever road bridge.
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