Bridge traffic rerouted in radical plan

Wakefield St overbridge will cost $1.8 million to replace, so the council is suggesting bypassing it altogether. Photo/Bevan Conley

A radical plan has been hatched to bypass the Wakefield St overbridge in Wanganui East instead of replacing it.

If it is adopted as part of the Wanganui District Council's 3-Year Plan, it means motor vehicles will be rerouted away from the bridge over the Wanganui-to-Marton rail line.

Before any final decision is made, the proposal will go out for public consultation.

The bridge urgently needs total replacement at a cost of $1.8 million.

But because it does not qualify for NZ Transport Agency subsidy, council roading engineers suggest rerouting vehicles along Eastown Rd, into Holyoake St and then Tinirau St.

The bridge would stay but be open to pedestrians and bicycles only. As council is soon to put its 3-Year Plan out for consultation, the impact could be as early as July this year.

There is a 30km/h speed restriction currently on the wooden bridge and heavy traffic is barred from using it.

Replacing the bridge was budgeted for 2017-18 at a cost of $1.8 million. About $280,000 of that figure was to cover the investigation, design and tender stages from 2015 onward.

Council's roading engineers said a much cheaper option was bypassing the bridge and rerouting through traffic along Eastown Rd.

The detour adds 540m - or less than a minute - to the journey. Currently 1400 vehicles a day cross the bridge.

A new bridge would not get any NZTA subsidy because alternative routes are available.

If the council opts to close the bridge it would still have to spend $50,000 to upgrade the Holyoake St-Eastown Rd intersection and put bollards on the bridge.

Engineers said banning motor vehicles from the bridge had another plus - it stopped the Wakefield St area being used as a "boy racer" circuit.

The obvious downside is the slightly longer travel time for No3 Line residents and the increased traffic volumes on the bypass route.