Whanganui District Council will have new Mountains to Sea pathway finished by end of November

Waka Kotahi is providing 60 per cent of the $560,000 cost for the path. Photo / Bevan Conley

The latest off-road section of the Mountains to Sea Trail along the Whanganui River could be finished by the end of next month.

Whanganui District Council transport manager Damien Wood said the shared pathway would run from the drop-out repair work on Somme Pde (opposite the Aramoho Shopping Centre) to the Dublin St Bridge.

Sixty per cent of the $560,000 cost has been provided by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Authority’s low-cost low-risk (walking and cycling) budget.

Wood said he was confident that would be sufficient to complete the project if there weren’t any unforeseen issues, such as unfavourable ground conditions.

The pathway would be mostly concrete with a short section of gravel, he said.

The Mountains To Sea Trail is one of 22 in the Ngā Haerenga Great Rides cycle trail network.

It covers 231km in the Whanganui and Ruapehu districts, from Ohakune to the Tasman Sea at Castlecliff.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.