Mayor positive after Wellington mission as search for bridge funds ramps up

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

He didn’t return from Wellington with bags of cash for Ashburton’s second bridge.

But what Ashburton mayor Neil Brown did get from his whistle-stop bridge promotion visit was an optimistic response that the project has government support – just not any guaranteed money – yet.

“There is a will there to build the second bridge, because of resilience,” Brown said.

“The only thing we are not clear on is how to fund it."

The meeting with Transport Minister Michael Wood and Waka Kotahi representatives at the Beehive confirmed to Brown the Government is positively engaged in the conversation and thinking about how the proposed $113.6m second bridge can be funded.

The council has already budgeted $7.5m, based on a previous $40m cost estimate, but signalled it will consider a larger contribution if required.

The issue is the gap between what would be Waka Kotahi's minimum 51 per cent contribution ($58m) and the council's current contribution - an approximate $48.2m shortfall.

The minister made it clear to Brown that there is significant pressure on the national land transport programme (NLTP) following Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused significant damage to bridges and roads in the upper North Island.

There are options outside the NLTP, with one being the government's $3 billion infrastructure fund, launched in 2020.

“We’ll all be exploring options or innovative ways to make it happen,’’ Brown said.

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

Brown responded to calls from frustrated community members who say repairing local roads is more pressing than a second bridge.

Brown said the only similarity between the two was that they were both influenced by Waka Kotahi subsidies.

“This [proposed second Ashburton bridge] is a major capital infrastructure project for the resilience of the roading network for the whole South Island,'' Brown said.

"[But] the potholes are a maintenance issue within the district, which our maintenance contractors are paid to go and fill.

“We also need more funding for the roads so we can renew more roads so they don’t get potholes.”

Potholes were also not just an Ashburton district problem, but one felt nationwide.

Other community members have also questioned why money for the council's new $56.7m library and civic centre could not be used for the bridge and local road funding instead.

But Brown said they were completely unrelated projects.

“They are two different projects, not even related and if you kept taking from one to put to another, you’d never get anything done.”