Blenheim community to have input over new Opawa River bridge
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Residents are to be asked for their ideas on a new bridge in Blenheim.
Preliminary consultation and design work is set to start soon on the new $17.5 million bridge over the Opawa River.
The bridge will replace the existing concrete arched Opawa Bridge, nicknamed the Banana Bridge, which has been used since 1917.
New Zealand Transport Agency central region highways manager Neil Walker said NZTA would be meeting with the community to help decide where the bridge was likely to be placed.
**READ MORE:
* Tender signalled for Grove Road bridge**
They also wanted to discuss how other users, such as cyclists and pedestrians, would be accommodated, and how the bridge design would fit with the surrounding area.
Detailed design work, and confirmation of the work programme, would also begin soon, Walker said.
Building the new bridge was expected to start in 2018.
The new bridge was announced in January as part of the Government's accelerated regional roading package from which funding would be made available for the bridge replacement.
It would provide more consistent travel times and would be structurally more resilient to natural hazards, such as flooding and earthquakes.
The existing bridge, registered as category 1 by Heritage NZ, was no longer suitable for existing traffic levels, particularly heavy vehicles, and would remain after the new bridge was built, Walker said.
It was the first concrete bowstring bridge constructed in New Zealand.
Around 9900 vehicles, including 880 heavy trucks, crossed the bridge daily which was an important northern gateway on State Highway 1 for Blenheim, however the narrow width created delays for heavy vehicles and campervans.