Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge will be demolished after bid to save it fails

Thursday, 5 December 2024

The City to Sea Bridge opened in 1993, providing pedestrians a crossing across Jervois Quay.

Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge will be gone by 2026, after councillors gave permission for the structure to be demolished.

A last-minute bid to save the bridge failed, with 11 councillors, including mayor Tory Whanau, voting against it.

Whanau said she loved the bridge, “but I love the future of our city more”.

Public figures had led a vocal campaign to save the iconic crossing, with members of the public also voicing their support to keep it.

Council officers had asked for elected officials’ permission to tear down the pedestrian structure, which borders Te Ngākau Civic Square.

The man who oversaw the building of the Wellington bridge is skeptical Wellington City Council's the projected costings.

Seismic reports found the City to Sea Bridge and the old Capital E building beneath it to be earthquake prone. With the council’s fiscal constraints in mind, officers were recommending the two structures be demolished and replaced – at least temporarily – with a set of pedestrian-priority traffic lights.

Officials were concerned the bridge could collapse in an earthquake, injuring or killing those walking over it and driving underneath it. The debris could also block Jervois Quay – a major arterial road – preventing emergency services from reaching those in need following a disaster.

At Thursday’s meeting, they asked councillors to grant approval for the bridge to be demolished. Officers want the new crossing and a loading dock for the strengthened Town Hall ready for the venue’s planned reopening in 2026.

Councillor Tim Brown was in favour of the proposal. He said he felt a “moral obligation” to the people who would be on and under the bridge in a quake, and those who would need to reach the hospital – and asked his peers not to “dither” any longer.

Councillor Iona Pannett said, under the council proposal, pedestrians would need to “scuttle” over the six-laned Jervois Quay rather than on a purpose-designed crossing.

Both of the replacement options to replace the City to Sea Bridge feature new traffic lights on Jervois Quay.

She asked her peers to delay today’s decision until February, when council officers could present a cost-effective solution to strengthen the bridge – but lost the vote.

Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman argued the community wanted the bridge to be saved.

Deputy mayor Laurie Foon thought “a little bit of space” was needed before a decision was made.

Councillor Tony Randle said the council’s “irrevocable” decision was the wrong call.

Mana whenua Holden Hohaia said he’d grown up with the City to Sea Bridge, and would miss it.

In contrast, councillor Ben McNulty said it would be “malicious” to spend more money strengthening the bridge.

Councillor Rebecca Matthews said the opportunity to develop Civic Square outweighed the loss of the bridge. “Better things are possible.”

Wellingtonians spoke passionately about the bridge ahead of the vote.

Civil engineer Bruce McLean argued the “beautiful, quirky” structure was not earthquake prone, because the law does not require bridges to be strengthened.

Felicity Wong, of Historic Places Wellington, agreed the demolition was “needless”. Knocking down a crossing that reflects “a unified spirit of Wellington” would be “an act of civil vandalism”, she said.

In the long term, council officers suggested a new footbridge could eventually be built to provide pedestrians another option to walk between Civic Square and the waterfront.

Civic architect Angela Foster said much of Wellington is under scaffolding at the moment. Noting the number of public facilities flagged for demolition, she accused the council of “picking away” at the city.

“We have to build our city before we start to destroy it.”

Wellington City Council chief operating officer James Roberts acknowledged the “heart-felt feelings” of capital residents who wished to save the bridge. But he spoke out against the abuse on social media his officers had received.

He warned further delays would increase the amount council will need to pay to remediate Civid Square.

Arguing for the officers’ proposal, Roberts said demolition of the bridge and the old Capital E building beneath would meet the council’s budget constraints and allow Civic Square to reopen as soon as possible. “Two years from now, Te Ngākau will be alive again.”