Bridges to remain closed indefinitely

SIX closed bridges in Southland will remain out of use due to safety concerns.

During its first meeting for 2019 on Thursday, the Southland District Council (SDC) voted to keep the bridges closed indefinitely and look towards either replacing them or upgrading alternative routes over the next three years.

The closed bridges are the Mataura Island Titiroa Bridge, which has been closed since 2017, the Welsh Road East Bridge, Channel Road Bridge, Evans Road Bridge, Benmore Bridge and Mararoa Bridge, all closed last year.

The council has responsibility for 1084 bridges and has developed a bridge replacement/ rationalisation programme for the period 201821.

Southland Mayor Gary Tong said it was important to note the bridges were closed due to safety concerns.

There was also a significant concern that the public were ignoring the barriers and closure signs put in place on the bridges, which not only put their safety at risk, but also saw them at risk of prosecution.

Community engagement with local residents on the future of the six bridges would be undertaken.

The council also voted to name several streets in a retirement home complex in Te Anau, and a new subdivision at Curio Bay.

The three streets within the Murchison Villas Retirement Home will be named Davenport Pl, Johnstone Court and Moore Pl, while a street in the Porpoise Bay subdivision in Curio Bay will be named Ara Pahu.

One of the proposed street names in the Murchison Villas Retirement Home complex, Villa Dr, was substituted with Moore Pl after it was deemed too similar to the existing Village Pl in Te Anau.