A contract has been awarded to repaint Victoria Street Bridge in Cambridge, but a new river crossing is still decades away. Photo / Supplied
A contract has been awarded to repaint Victoria Street Bridge in Cambridge, but a new river crossing is still decades away. Photo / Supplied
A new river bridge for Cambridge is at least another 20 years away, but work starts this month to build a business case to seek government funding for a third river crossing for the town.
In May, Waipā District Council adopted a transport strategy that formally confirmed the need for a third bridge over the Waikato River in Cambridge once the historic high-level Victoria Bridge can no longer carry vehicles. That's expected to be at least another 20 years away.
Cambridge Connections, a group charged with overviewing the future of Cambridge's transport network, is already working to define the shape of Cambridge's transport infrastructure for the next 30 years. A year ago, the council allocated $300,000 for the project.
The group includes district councillors and Cambridge Community Board members as well as iwi representatives. It also includes representation from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, the heavy freight industry, regional transport planning experts, and others.
The council's group manager of service delivery, Dawn Inglis, said the Cambridge Connections project was a "complex beast" that would take 12 months to complete.
Waipā District Council's group manager of service delivery, Dawn Inglis. Photo / Supplied
A third river crossing in Cambridge involved much more than just building a bridge, she said. A location for the bridge had not been decided and land had not been bought.
"Cambridge Connections will consider how to reduce traffic demand, provide transport alternatives, and make the best use of existing infrastructure," Inglis said.
A third bridge location would require the council to designate land, meaning the land would be zoned for future road use. A lot of land would be needed, and once it was designated, the council would likely be required to borrow money to buy that land, even though the bridge would still be some years away.
"A designation may also require existing road corridors to be widened, forcing the council to buy further land from residents or businesses, some of whom may not wish to sell. There's a lot at stake," she said.
Cambridge Connections is already working to define the shape of Cambridge's transport infrastructure for the next 30 years. Photo / Supplied
By June next year, Cambridge Connections would have developed a business case as defined by Waka Kotahi. A business case is essential to securing a 51 per cent government subsidy.
"Otherwise, all Waipā ratepayers, across the entire district, will be footing the bill for the bridge entirely from their own pockets. We need the Government on board."
The stakeholder group will provide on-the-ground feedback and advice on what the best future transport system for Cambridge and the wider district would be, Inglis said.
"We need to make sure all those issues are taken into account before the business case is finalised."
Meanwhile, the district council has awarded a contract to InterGroup Ltd to repaint and carry out maintenance on the Victoria Street Bridge.
The council and the company are now planning the work to see how long scaffolding will be needed on the bridge and how traffic movement may be affected.
"It is a balancing act as we try to minimise the impact on traffic while ensuring the work can be done as quickly and safely as possible," said council transportation manager Bryan Hudson.
Hudson says once the council has agreed how the work will be carried out and the weight of the scaffolding is understood, it will be able to advise a detailed traffic management plan. This is expected to be in October.
"We want to make sure the community is well aware of what to expect while work is under way."
