Budget blowout possible for Mataura River bridge project

Wednesday, 28 October 2020

An artist impression of the $3.7million cable-stay design bridge as part of a $10.8million project to carry water pipelines from the East Gore plant to the Jacobstown wells. It will be the longest and tallest structure of this type in New Zealand at 39m high and 90m long.

The Gore District Council’s budget for its controversial new pedestrian bridge across the Mataura River may blow out but it is too soon to say by how much.

The council was considering using money it was given from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Innovating Streets Fund to fund the construction of the approaches to the proposed new $3.7million pedestrian bridge across the Mataura River.

However, the agency says the funding cannot be used for that purpose.

The council rebranded the$900,000 funding it received from the Innovating Streets Fund, calling it the Streets Alive project, and had been consulting with residents on how it would be spent.

Last week council chief executive Steve Parry told Stuff that while no funding from the Streets Alive project had yet been allocated towards the bridge, he could not rule out that the bridge project would not be considered as part of the council’s ‘Streets Alive’ project.

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Gore District Council chief executive Stephen Parry

“I am unaware of any specific funding being allocated to the approaches to the bridge at this time, but that’s not to say that it won’t be. The council is yet to formally consider the projects from Streets Alive,’’ Parry said last week.

When approached for comment on Tuesday, Parry said he was not aware that the approaches to the bridge could not be funded from the Streets Alive project.

‘’I was genuinely not aware of the exact details and thought in general it talked about walking and cycling projects, which the bridge is, but it would appear that it does not fit the bill.’’

The cost of construction of the approaches to the bridge were not included in the $3.7million cable-stay design bridge, he said.

“We will have to look for the funding for that from elsewhere, but I can’t see that we’re talking an arm and a leg, it’s only pedestrian and cycle access.’’

He was unsure how much it would cost to build the bridge approaches.

The bridge project will still receive some funding from the agency.

It will co-fund 55 per cent of the 90m long bridge from its Walking and Cycling activity class, leaving the council to pay $1.6m.

The bridge will give pedestrian and cycling access across the Mataura River as part of a $10.8million water treatment project to carry water pipelines from the East Gore plant to the Jacobstown wells.

The bridge plan has already proven controversial. More than 1000 people signed an online petition opposing the bridge construction, and in September it was revealed the Hokonui Rununga was opposed to the bridge being built.

Applications for resource consents with Environment Southland and the Gore District Council attracted 46 submissions – 26 in opposition, 17 in support, two neutral and one in support but opposing the site.

The council has placed resource consent applications for the project on hold while it prepares more information on the project.

Parry said the council would share a report publicly about the Streets Alive funding allocations, and what projects were going ahead, soon.