Ōmokoroa walking, cycling trails to become more accessible

Image / WBOPDC

A wider section of the Western Bay community will soon be able to enjoy some of the most popular trails around Ōmokoroa.

Three stretches of trail - Lynley Park to Plummers Point, around Cooney Reserve, and from Beach Grove Rd to the Esplanade – will soon be upgraded to a bitumen chip seal surface to improve the experience for users, while also reducing long-term maintenance costs.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council's reserve and facilities asset systems manager, Scott Parker, said these trails were part of the Ōmokoroa to Tauranga cycleway/walkway and got a lot of use from the community.

"We want to enable more of our community to get out and about, and we know that these kinds of trails can help people to feel more connected and create a sense of belonging."

Image / WBOPDC

The trails are a gravel surface that can degrade relatively quickly when used a lot and they are more affected by rainfall. The new hard surface will require less maintenance to keep it in good shape, and provide more equitable access for mobility-impaired reserve users, elders and tamariki.

Parker said contractors would begin working on the relevant trail sections from Monday, and users should expect individual sections to be completely closed while works are happening between 7.30am and 4.30pm each day. Trails will be open outside of those times.

From Monday the trail between the end of Lynley Park Drive and the first bridge to Plummers Point, will be closed for surface preparation. This will be followed by the trail section at Cooney Reserve and the last section between Beach Grove and the Esplanade.

Chip-sealing will take place for all three trail sections towards the end of the week. All work is subject to suitable weather, and trail users should check council's Facebook, website or Antenno app for up-to-date information.

Image / WBOPDC

"We thank everyone for their patience while we get this work done, ultimately it means there will be less disturbances from maintenance in the long run," Parker said.

The planned path upgrades are funded through the Long Term Plan 2021-31. The upgrades align with the council's Walking and Cycling Action Plan which seeks to achieve more accessible paths across the district.