“Until I see some progress started on the bridge, I will stay glued to this matter,” she said.
“We have an average of 9967 vehicles past my house on No 3 Line on a weekly basis and at least half of these would have used the bridge.
“The average speed in a 50km/h area is 78km/h, but speeds reaching 145km/h have been recorded by road counters.”
No 3 Line forms part of the alternative route while the bridge is closed.
The Chronicle reported in January 2024 that vehicles weighing far more than the limit of 4500kg had been recorded using the bridge in previous months.
It was closed to all traffic about a year later.
The bridge was built in 1954 using second-hand timber for the major components.
Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay queried the status of funding for the replacement after a Facebook post by Mayor Andrew Tripe on September 14.
Tripe’s post said funding for the bridge was “on its way”.
“Council has budgeted $2.5m for the replacement, and NZTA funding approval is now moving through the final step,” it said.
“Design work is nearly finished and we’re preparing tender documents so we can hit the ground running.
“If all goes to plan, we’re aiming to start building this summer.”
Tripe told councillors he had written to Transport Minister Chris Bishop about the Wakefield St and Dublin St bridges “to put a bit of pressure on”.
“With that, but also the petition and the work of the community, a real team effort, the funding isn’t through yet, but it’s on its way.”
However, the meeting was told that NZTA had not yet approved the project.
It was added to Horizons Regional Council’s regional land transport plan (RLTP) this month, following a letter to Horizons from Whanganui Alliance performance manager David Lane.
It said the variation to the RLTP meant a NZTA funding subsidy for the bridge replacement could be formally sought.
Chief executive David Langford said the Whanganui council’s share of the money was budgeted.
“The next step in the process is for our team to submit the business case [to NZTA] which is imminent,” he said.
“[NZTA] can do a detailed assessment and then, at the end of that, they should be in a position to confirm they are approving their share of the funding.”
If the council’s application is successful, it will fund 38% of the project, with NZTA providing 62%.
In 2023, the council reallocated funding for Wakefield St Bridge to replace Erni’s Bridge on Kauarapaoa Rd, which was completed for just under $2 million.
In February 2024, council roading manager Mark Allingham said funding for the Wakefield St replacement was “unexpectedly turned down” by NZTA, along with other projects such as the Mountains to Sea pathway.
Langford told councillors that, based on traffic counts, the economic case for the replacement was strong.
Detailed designs were complete, with tender and contract documents started two weeks ago.
He said he appreciated Whittaker “keeping our feet to the fire” on the issue.
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.
