Beechwood Ln bridge safety fears ease
‘‘If we have a bridge in place we have to provide access at that spot at all times’’
Fears the replacement of a footbridge in Beechwood Ln would force school children to walk along State Highway 2 to and from school during its construction have been put to rest.
Initial council information to residents indicated this would be the case.
‘‘Once construction starts, access to and from Plateau Rd will not be available for pedestrians and cyclists until the new bridge is in use,’’ a notice to residents said.
‘‘We have investigated options to provide a temporary path but couldn’t find one.’’
However city operations director Lachlan Wallach said that was not the case.
Alternative access across the Mangaroa River will be put in place during Dews Construction’s four-week replacement of the 80-year old footbridge, he said.
‘‘We are already looking at what structures are available and we can get in. We have a responsibility on this. If we have a bridge in place we have to provide access at that spot at all times, even in the case of a replacement.
‘‘It’s like what happened in Birchville and especially so in the Akatarawa Valley a few years ago,’’ Wallach said.
Beechwood Ln local Karin Elliot said the initial information led to concern for the safety of children walking along the state highway for several hundred metres.
‘‘It’s so good to hear that this won’t be the case but you can understand why we were concerned.
‘‘I’ll let the other parents know what’s happening, we will all be a little relieved,’’
The 1933 wooden truss footbridge is also popular with cyclists who use a subway off Beechwood Lane and under SH2 to link with the off-road Hutt River Trail.
A second footbridge at Silverstream is being organised by the council with Dews Construction again the builders.
This will cross the Hulls Creek steam in the Pumpkin Cottage Reserve, on Fergusson Drive.