Whanganui’s Aramoho pedestrian bridge avoids closure as funding sought for replacement

The pedestrian section of the Aramoho bridge was added in 1961. Photo / Mike Tweed

The Aramoho pedestrian bridge will undergo fortnightly inspections as the Whanganui District Council battles to keep it open while securing funding for a replacement.

Roading manager Mark Allingham said the bridge had been considered for closure but a new engineering report allowed that option to be taken off the table.

“Basically, we are putting Band-Aids on Band-Aids, patching bits and pieces and keeping it going,” he said.

“We’ve got an ageing and ailing piece of infrastructure, but it’s one of our most important and well-used assets.

“I explained it a couple of days ago in terms of palliative care. It’s dying, and we need to keep it comfortable and in the best way we can.”

Previously, the bridge was inspected monthly, he said.

The Chronicle reported last April that tenders for a new bridge were far above the $2 million budget, meaning the project was not eligible for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s (NZTA) low-cost, low-risk (LCLR) funding.

A report from Allingham in November 2024 said the cost had risen to $4.5m.

He told the Chronicle this week the council was still working to secure funding from NZTA, through a present value end of life (PVEoL) application.

The cost of the project had been cut back “to the bones”, with an estimated cost of $3m.

“Basically, by removing all peripheral works and getting it down to just the bridge, we’ll have a better shot at funding,” Allingham said.

“We need to be ready to act as soon as we’re allowed to.”

He said if funding was not secured before or as part of NZTA’s National Land Transport Programme for 2027-2030, “tough decisions” would have to be made, including possible closure or the council paying for the whole project itself.

He said the PVEoL process was more complicated than applying for LCLR cash.

“You’re looking at the whole history of the bridge, what the cost of maintenance has been, what the cost of the new bridge is and what the savings are against the cost of the maintenance.”

The bridge had barriers to stop motorbikes from travelling across, but he was looking at getting them removed, he said.

“They obstruct mobility scooters and I’d like it to be used by as many people as possible.

“We want to do our best for everybody and it has to be everybody. Ensuring the disabled community has access to our bridges and footpaths is as much a priority as tanker trucks, forestry and everybody else.

“Fingers crossed, people won’t run motorbikes over it. If they do, we can put a camera there and identify them.”

The main railway bridge, owned by KiwiRail, was built in the 1870s, with the clip-on pedestrian section added in 1961.

In 2023, the Chronicle reported the bridge had an estimated 126,600 users a year.

Mike Tweed is a 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.