■ Full clean (taking the environment into consideration).
■ Full maintenance check (this has been done by NZTA recently.)
■ Lighting (LED) project.
"Internal and external tourism in New Zealand has taken walking/cycling to heart. These are popular activities and we have the means to 'join' our bridges by creating beautiful walkways along our river, especially north to the Mangatainoka Bridge.
"I know Pahiatua On Track has been wanting to do this for years, this is a large project and it will need Council support to drive this through.
"Also, access to the Mangatainoka River via a concrete stepped access would give greater, safer access for the community.
"Community have a right to have a relationship with their river, this relationship will in due course manifest to greater care and attention to the river's health and wellbeing, which in turn is our wellbeing," she said.
■ History - courtesy of Heritage New Zealand:
"Not only a physically significant landmark within the Tararua region, but Pahiatua Town Bridge is also of special importance as a landmark in terms of its design and for the influential construction company associated with it.
"Pahiatua Town Bridge was Fletcher Construction Company's first venture into reinforced concrete bridge building and they were able to capitalise on its success with further bowstring arch bridge contracts, such as Balclutha Bridge and Fairfield Bridge, which are New Zealand Historic Places Trust Category I historic places.
"Pahiatua Town Bridge was the first in the sequence of 1930s reinforced concrete bowstring arch bridges and the third of this type constructed in New Zealand, marking key a point in the development of this form of structure.
"Pahiatua Town Bridge is also of special significance as part of concerted government efforts to proactively weather the economic crisis of the Great Depression, and it, therefore, became a statement of determination and positivity which was reiterated by Prime Minister Forbes at the bridge's greatly anticipated opening celebrations.
"Arguably the most important bridge in the Pahiatua district because it provided vital link across the Mangatainoka River to the area's railway station, the creation of Pahiatua Town Bridge was a priority despite the expense of this prospect.
"Pahiatua Town Bridge is of aesthetic significance because it is a major landmark within the townscape of Pahiatua, and at its opening ceremony was described as one of the most impressive bridges in the lower North Island.
"The visual appeal of the structure is the combined effect of its scale, and the repetition of its arch elements and motifs that rhythmically draw the viewer's eye along its length, this being enhanced further by the linearity of its parapet and handrail.
"Detailing, such as the curved and moulded entrance wall, the Art Deco lampposts, and bevelled edges, add further elegance to this bridge whose aesthetic values elevate it above its utilitarian function.
■ Social Significance
"Pahiatua Town Bridge was opened by the prime minister and other dignitaries in 1932, and the celebrations surrounding this event demonstrate its considerable local social significance.
"The bridge was greatly anticipated because it secured the town's crucial link to its railway station, but its construction was also a positive statement of central and local government determination to help the country weather the financial crisis of the Great Depression.
"Therefore, from the outset, the structure was integral to the economy of the district, an emblem of hope for the local area and to an extent nationally, as well as a source of pride for citizens as an impressive entrance to Pahiatua.
"Despite some instances of repair, and the underpinning project of the mid-1970s, Pahiatua Town Bridge is a technically accomplished early 1930s structure, with the use of the increasingly popular bridge material of reinforced concrete giving longevity to its relatively rare bowstring arch form.
"Both functional and attractive, the bowstring arch design of the structure is a special and carefully considered aspect because while the arches of Pahiatua Town Bridge are shallow in the tradition of the two earlier examples of this form of bridge, their design is less weighty which adds an air of elegance to the bridge, a key feature of subsequent bowstring arched bridges.
■ This text is from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga's information about Pahiatua Town Bridge (List No. 4029). The full story is available on the list online: https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/4029.
