End of the road for bridge to island

HAD ITS DAY? The bridge that spans the park lake to the island is to be superseded as an accessway.PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

A landmark walking bridge in Masterton's Queen Elizabeth Park is facing demolition - or at the very least will be upstaged by the building of another structure.

The bridge that spans the park lake, giving access to the island, is regarded as being too small and the wrong shape to play a part in planned developments.

Designed by architect Neil Inkster and built in 1961 by Masterton Jaycee, the concrete bridge was deliberately hump-backed so boats using the lake could pass beneath it.

But the narrow bridge is not capable of allowing vehicle access to the island and Masterton District Council is planning major changes that would make vehicle access imperative.

Apart from wanting vehicle access, councillors at a policy and finance meeting this week spoke of the bridge being difficult to use for people in wheelchairs or pushing prams.

Although there are no firm plans for just what will be developed on the island, it is thought a picnic area and perhaps a Remembrance Garden could be included.

A Remembrance Garden would incorporate the existing Cancer Society Memorial Garden.

The miniature railway that runs around the island is a major drawcard, with 22,000 visitors using it last year. That is without the steam train being in operation and the locomotive is expected to be back in service within months after parts for it are signed off, augmenting the diesel locomotive that has been carrying the workload.