Locals fired up over proposal to close bridge

Wanganui East Club manager Allan Wakeling said closing the Wakefield St overbridge will affect a significant number of the suburb's residents and beyond. Photo/Bevan Conley

Locals are hot under the collar about suggestions to close the Wakefield St overbridge and will be letting the Wanganui District Council know it.

The council is proposing to close the bridge in Wanganui East over the Wanganui to Marton rail line because it would cost at least $1.8 million to replace it.

Mayor Annette Main and council staff will front a public meeting at the Wanganui East Club at 7.30pm on Monday - but they will be in for a hostile reception.

Allan Wakeling, manager of the club, said closing the bridge would not only have an "enormous" impact on the club but on the community as a whole.

A considerable number of the club's 1800 members used the bridge regularly and that was before taking into account others who used it daily.

"Having the bridge is the most direct route for a significant number of our members and if it was closed then it would add considerable distance," Mr Wakeling said.

The claim by council staff that closing the bridge would only add about 500m to a trip using alternative streets was "a fallacy", he said. "We've calculated the distances for our courtesy van and it's about 2.5km and we estimate it will add $4000 a year in our van's running costs."

The van was used Wednesday to Sunday every week and did about five trips every day, ferrying people from their homes to the club and back.

"It's not just in the suburb - the van will pick up members who live in Okoia, Upokongaro and as far away as Fordell."

Mr Wakeling said closing the bridge to all but cyclists and pedestrians would create another problem for the club.

"No business would want to be at the end of what will turn into a very long dead-end street," he said.

The feeling at the club was that most people want the bridge retained "and some of them are very hot and fired up about any plan to close it".

He said the plan was to re-route traffic along Eastown Rd, into Holyoake St, then Tinirau St to join Duncan St.

"That means they're directing traffic over a rail crossing [Holyoake St], past a primary school [Wanganui East School in Tinirau St] then through a busy shopping centre [Wanganui East] and creating more traffic congestion at the Anzac Parade roundabout," Mr Wakeling said.

When council held a public meeting at the War Memorial Centre last week to explain details of its 2014-15 annual plan, including the proposal to close the overbridge, many people there were armed with signs proclaiming "Save our bridge".

Mr Wakeling said after that meeting council had asked his club to approach local bridge builders to come up with other options.

"Club president Rowe Bartrum and myself have met with one bridge builder and he's provided some options to reduce costs with a replacement bridge. We'll have those for Monday night's meeting."

Meanwhile, Wanganui Fire Service area manager Bernie Rush said his service was aware of the speed and weight restrictions at the overbridge and took alternative routes through that part of Wanganui East.