Waipā District Council seeks fresh start with Cambridge Connections after bridge backlash

Friday, 4 July 2025

A third bridge to Leamington proved a sensitive topic in the first attempt at a Cambridge Connections plan (file photo).

The controversial Cambridge Connections project is being revved up again, with the council saying communication will be “very different” this time around.

Trust took a dive the first time the transport project was pitched, after a lack of consultation on the proposed location for a third bridge between Cambridge and Leamington left many locals furious.

Katie Mayes, who was appointed as the project’s executive director, said the approach to working with the community would now be “very different”, though some technical parts of the plan would stay the same.

Waipā District Council Mayor Susan O’Regan said “now is the time for the council and the community to move forward… together”.

Her call follows a workshop in which elected members looked back at what went wrong and set out how they want the community involved from now on.

Heated exchanges shut this March 2024 public meeting about Cambridge Connections down 50 minutes early.

The aim of the project is a 30-year-plan to ease traffic pressures in a town that’s grown rapidly. Earlier versions of the plan were heavily criticised after the council floated an “emerging preferred option” for a new bridge between Cambridge and Leamington.

Some residents felt shut out of the process and tempers flared at drop-in sessions. For example, a March 2024 session was shut down 50 minutes after heated exchanges, and work on the bridge location was put on hold soon after.

“To be effective community leaders we need to acknowledge we made mistakes, reflect on that, understand what can be done better, and then apply those learnings to the project going forward,” O’Regan said in her latest statement.

Mayes, the project director, said in the council statement that “the plan will be aligned with growth outcomes and community aspirations, ensuring a more integrated, sustainable, and future-focused transport network”.

Congestion is a major bugbear for Cambridge residents, and one previously told the Waikato Times it’s “nose to tail” across the bridge most weekends.

A detailed plan and new engagement framework for Cambridge Connections will go to the council’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee in early August. The council says it is committed to exploring all options, including the idea of north-facing ramps onto the Waikato Expressway near Tīrau Rd.

More information is available on the council’s Cambridge Connections web page.

This story was sourced from official documents and generated using a bespoke AI tool overseen and checked by senior journalists.