Save-our-bridge crowd told: Send submissions

Mayor Annette Main (right) faces a large crowd last night all desperate to keep the Wakefield Street bridge open. Photo/Bevan Conley

"Send us your submissions on the Wakefield St bridge and we'll weigh it up with what the community can pay."

That was the message from mayor Annette Main, who last night fronted a meeting of more than 400 people concerned about the proposed closure of the bridge in Wanganui East.

The large turnout at the Wanganui East club was testimony to the strength of feeling about the threatened closure, and Ms Main admitted "this many people at a public meeting is taken into account".

"When did you last see so many people turn out for such a meeting?"

There was also a strong showing of councillors - Rob Vinsen, Jenny Duncan, Martin Visser, Philippa Baker-Hogan, Charlie Anderson, Sue Westwood and Rangi Wills, as well as chief executive Kevin Ross and infrastructure manager Mark Hughes.

Photo/Bevan Conley

Ms Main emphasised plans for the bridge were just a proposal and those at the meeting must put in a submission why they want it kept open.

"We can build a bridge ... you need to make sure it is the most important thing for us to do in this area."

Plans to replace the bridge have been in the council budget for some time but, with an estimated replacement cost of $1.8 million, they have now been dropped from the most recent draft budget.

Ms Main said a 62 per cent subsidy from the New Zealand Transport Agency had been reduced to 50 per cent and because there was an alternative access to No 3 Line along Eastown Rd, the Government wouldn't come to the party to replace the ageing bridge.

The bridge was built by the New Zealand Railways in the early 50s with second-hand timber. It eventually passed ownership to the council.

In 2007 it was found that was no longer viable because of the heavy weight of trucks and motorists not reducing their speed to 30km/h to traverse the bridge.

"It's old wood and rotting. If we could stop the heavy traffic going over it, that would help. But cars are also damaging the timber," Ms Main said.

Ideas from the floor included slowing the traffic down with solar traffic lights, speed humps, overhead height bar, and to totally eliminate heavy vehicles using the bridge.

Carol Teutscher suggested changing the intersection so traffic had to slow down and give way. Ms Main acknowledged that was an idea worth investigating.