Upokongaro cycle bridge awaits variation to consent

The crane and other equipment have been removed from the Papaiti Rd site where a new bridge for the Whanganui River waits for installation. Photo / Bevan Conley

The new cycle bridge between Papaiti Rd and Upokongaro is still waiting to be put in place - once a resource consent variation has been agreed to and conditions are right.

The bridge is part of the Mountains to Sea cycle trail. After its resource consent was granted it was decided to raise it 800mm higher to keep it safe from floods.

Whanganui District Council had to apply to Horizons Regional Council to vary the resource consent. That needed consultation under both the Resource Management Act and the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act.

The decision may seem simple, but the Chronicle understands there are wider matters involved.

Consultation has been happening, but in late May council CEO Kym Fell admitted the council had failed to consult everyone it needed to.

The bridge and the cycle track linking it to Somme Pde were to have been in place in April. The delay will incur extra costs, but these will be reduced by council giving the contractor, Emmetts Civil Construction, permission to work on other projects while consultation continues.

The bridge will be put in place on its abutments when the consent is agreed to, and when weather and conditions are right, a council spokeswoman said.

Parts of the cycle track linking it to Somme Pde have been sealed, but the section closest to the bridge is yet to be finished.