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Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge to be demolished

Tuesday, 15 October 2024

A group of Wellingtonians have joined together to save the threatened City To Sea Bridge after council voted against spending millions to strengthen it.

Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge is set to be demolished.

Wellington Council is seeking community feedback on two proposed replacements.

Engineers gave the bridge an earthquake rating of 20% during a seismic investigation.

Wellington City to Sea bridge, which connects the CBD with the waterfront, is set to be demolished.

Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge.
Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge.

The City to Sea Bridge goes above Jervois Quay, and stretches between Te Ngākau Civic Square and Whairepo Lagoon. In 2019, concerns were raised about its structural integrity.

The City to Sea Bridge, with the Michael Fowler Centre visible in the background.
The City to Sea Bridge, with the Michael Fowler Centre visible in the background.

A report to Wellington City Council’s environment and infrastructure committee said it wanted community feedback on the “remediation“ options listed for the future of the City to Sea Bridge.

Another view of the bridge.
Another view of the bridge.

However, a draft consultation document on the development of Te Ngākau Civic Square obtained by The Post confirmed the bridge would be demolished following a seismic assessment.

Sculpture on the bridge.
Sculpture on the bridge.

It reported that $65 million was allocated to investigate options for the bridge and the former Capital E building and basement. This included both remedial strengthening work and demolition.

The bridge is a key pedestrian crossing from the city centre, over arterial roads, to the harbourside.
The bridge is a key pedestrian crossing from the city centre, over arterial roads, to the harbourside.

The investigation found that liquefaction in the surrounding areas could trigger spreading and movement to the seawall attached to the former Capital E Building and basement. Engineers gave the bridge an earthquake rating of just 20%.

Both documents provide two options for the bridge’s future; either replacing it with a new pedestrian crossing, or a pedestrian crossing with a new, smaller bridge at two different points across Jervois Quay.

The Wellington City Council’s Environment and Infrastructure committee document states that “the bridge is a unique structure that many Wellingtonian’s care about and enjoy,

“However, the Council needs to meet its safety obligations and legal requirements around earthquake resilience within affordability constraints.”

They also state that strengthening the bridge would be “extremely disruptive” and costly due to the interconnected structures of the bridge and seismic issues of the ground beneath it.

“Based on the information received from our team of consultants, the only reasonably practicable option is to demolish the bridge and replace it with something new.”