‘It’s up to us now’: Pages Rd bridge replacement snubbed from fast track list

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

The critical Pages Rd bridge replacement project failed to make the list of the Government’s fast-track projects.

A critical bridge replacement project failed to make the cut for the Government’s fast track list, months after fresh doubt was cast on its already poor resilience to earthquakes.

But Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger is confident the city council can replace New Brighton’s Pages Rd bridge in good time without being fast-tracked.

“If we get our act together,” he said.

A new bridge is being planned to replace the quake-damaged Pages Rd bridge as part of an $80 million project regarded as a “lifeline” for people in New Brighton, which will enable them to get out of the seaside suburb quicker in the event of an emergency.

The Pages Rd bridge was assessed at meeting just 10% to 15% of the national building standards in 2012 - meaning a moderate earthquake could result in its collapse and likely cause injury or death.

But this was likely no longer the case, according to consultancy firm Beca.

Defects have been found on most of the bridge’s concrete piles.

Beca, which created a bridge management plan and assessment for the council in June, said the 2012 seismic assessment was based on the incorrect assumption there was minimal damage to the piles.

An underwater inspection since then had found “significant damage” and defects on most of its concrete piles, “raising doubts about the bridge’s current seismic resilience,” the report said.

The report, seen by The Press, made a series of recommendations, including safety provisions around maintaining existing speed restrictions for vehicles travelling on it, and called for ongoing inspections and maintenance.

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger says the old bridge will not be forgotten, and that the the council needs to act quickly on building a new one.

However, based on its assessment, Beca recommended prioritising a new bridge over bringing the damaged one up to scratch - as long as it is completed no later than 2028.

It did not rule out that concrete repair work may need to be prioritised.

Jacob Bradbury, the council’s transport planning and delivery manager, said it was possible for the new bridge to be finished by then, but it would rely on the speed of the consenting process and finishing a business case so the council could access government funding.

The council was not as optimistic in its application to the fast track list earlier in May. In it, the council expected construction on the bridge to finish in September 2029, and hoped the fast track process would shave at least nine months off that process.

Without being able to lean on the Government’s plan to speed some projects through consenting, Mauger said: “It’s up to us now to get the plans done as quick as we can.”

He said the council needed to get consent applications into Environment Canterbury “as quick as we can”, and then “put some pressure” on the regional council to process them promptly.

Consultants found extensive deterioration beneath the bridge where various services - including water, power, a wastewater main and communications - are supported.

On October 6 the Government unveiled 149 projects it wants to see go through a fast tracked consenting process, from a list of more than 342 applications.

Mauger said he did not know why the Pages Rd bridge was not one of them, and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop did not give details when asked on Monday.

Bishop said the final list was not a reflection of the quality of projects not included.

He said the level of interest had been unprecedented, and the council could get another shot at applying for fast tracking in the future.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop announces 149 projects the Government wants to give fast tracked resource consent approval to.

The council completed a series of temporary repairs on the bridge in 2015, which were expected to extend the bridge’s life for another decade, but the June report found a number of these repairs were failing.

That included extensive deterioration beneath the bridge, where various services - including water pipework, power cables, a wastewater main and communications - were supported.

A theoretical estimate suggested concrete repairs could cost $1.75 million, while repairing the piles could cost $2.44m.

While Beca made a series of recommendations about ongoing assessments and maintenance, it did not recommend structural repairs at this stage.

Bradbury said the council had not met formally to discuss the report, but councillors were sent a memo advising them of its findings.

There was no budget set aside for maintaining Pages Rd bridge specifically, but there was money for the council’s more than 400 bridges. Bradbury said maintenance was carried out depending on the outcome of inspections, like with all bridges.

Pages Rd bridge had special inspections every six months, he said.

Mauger said the old bridge was “definitely not being forgotten”, but said the council had to be careful about spending too much on a bridge it wanted to replace.

“So the main thing is to get under way as fast as we can … time is our enemy at the moment.”

Christchurch East MP Reuben Davidson said the community had fought hard for the Government to commit funding to the project because of how crucial it was.

But it would take more than “a photo opportunity” from ministers to get the project across the line, he said.