Foot traffic to scale windy heights

By WAYNE THOMPSON

Walks over the high arch of the Harbour Bridge have been cleared to start next summer by Transit New Zealand.

The Transit board chairman, Alan Bickers, confirmed last night that a company would be granted a concession to charge people for conducted walks over the 60m centre span.

He would not comment on whether the successful bidder for the concession was Bridge Climb Auckland, a company headed by a former chief executive of Skellerup and Maine Investments, Murray Bolton.

Work remains to be done on issues such as safety.

The board has left such matters for Transit management to resolve with the successful tenderer from the 55 submitted.

Mr Bickers said he had walked over the bridge and thought it would be a tremendous tourism asset for Auckland.

Transit says guided walks could earn it revenue and create several hundred jobs, judging by the success of the climb over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The day-and-night venture across the Tasman, which began in October 1998, costs $A117 ($140) for an adult on weekdays and $A142 at weekends.

Sydney's centre arch reaches 134m above the sea.

Transit management would not say last night how much it would earn from the concession.

They said the information was commercially sensitive at this stage of the tendering process.

The successful bidder would probably pay an annual licence fee as well as a percentage of the takings.

Mr Bolton, who is now an owner of Corporate Cabs in Auckland, said last night that he had yet to receive notification of winning the tender.

He said he had been working on the venture with Maurice Crosby, of Iguacu Restaurant in Parnell.

Asked about his experience in tourism, Mr Bolton said that during his time with Brierley Investments his efforts had resulted in the Sky City Casino being built in Auckland.

No work had been done on how much walkers would be charged.