Waipā District Council’s Cambridge Connections project to be independently reviewed

Waipā District Council’s 30-year transport project, Cambridge Connections, is getting an independent review, Mayor Susan O’Regan has announced.

The news comes after the council took potential locations for a third bridge out of the project, following strong objections from residents.

The review has no firm timeframe and would be carried out by engineering, architecture and property consultancy WSP New Zealand.

O’Regan said the review would be an “important reset” for both the council and the community before the project’s next step.

“This is a 30-year project that both the council and the community need to work on together,” O’Regan said in a statement.

“We will also be reviewing where and how this project should be managed within the organisation, and the ongoing governance arrangements.”

The Cambridge Connections project focuses on all components of the town’s transport network, including its river crossings.

Part of the council’s transport strategy, the project’s aims included reducing traffic demand, providing transport alternatives, and maximising existing infrastructure.

To seek funding for the project from New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the council has been developing a business case.

So far, more than 350 pieces of feedback on the different aspects of the draft business case have been received.

The Cambridge Connections project focuses on all components of Cambridge’s transport network, including its river crossings.

According to the council’s statement announcing the independent review, “a significant amount of feedback” focused on a proposed location for a potential third bridge which was met with anger by residents in the suggested ‘blue zone’.

Residents were worried that a submission would be made by the council to the Government for the third bridge to be accepted under the Fast-track Bill - avoiding the need to seek feedback from the public, including those directly impacted by the new bridge.

All bridge locations were taken off the table earlier this month in response to the concerns raised. Feedback is still being sought on other aspects of the project until Friday, May 24.

O’Regan said the independent review would be an opportunity to recognise where things could have been done better, reflect on what had caused concern, and reset to get the project ‘back on track’.

Waipā District Council chief executive Garry Dyet WSP had been engaged to review the process of developing the business case, the consistency with the principles of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s business case process and to provide recommendations for improvement.

“This project has a number of moving parts, and we need to understand what can done better so we can ensure it is applied to not only Cambridge Connections, but any other future project with a high community impact.”

While no firm timeframe could be put on the completion of the review, the results would be shared with the community once the outcomes had been considered.