Council puts two-lane bridge ahead of seal

Timaru District councillors have voted against a major upgrade for a route which became a key bypass during recent Rangitata River flooding.

The mostly unsealed ArundelBelfield Rd, which typically has about 60 vehicles per day passing over it, averaged more than 8000 a day when southbound traffic was re-routed along it to alleviate massive queues on State Highway 79 at the single-lane Upper Orari River bridge caused by the flooding-related closure of State Highway 1 at Rangitata.

Councillors, after being presented with three options – ‘‘maintain the current unsealed sections of the road by renewing the gravel surface layer ensuring the road surface is well maintained’’, upgrade the unsealed 4.4km section (about $850,000) or upgrade the entire 8.9km unsealed section ($1.5m) – expressed concern that a proposed upgrade could impact the sought-after two-laning of the Orari bridge as well as affecting budgets for other sealing work.

A proposal to double-lane the Upper Orari bridge is with the NZ Transport Agency following concerns over safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians using the structure.

Geraldine Community Board chairman Wayne O’Donnell said although he wasn’t against sealing projects as such, he felt there were already several roads in the town that required attention.

‘‘We need to stop and think about this, don’t rush into it,’’ O’Donnell said.

‘‘We’re talking about an event that is supposed to happen once in every 20 years.’’

He said there was a much greater need for the two-laning of the Upper Orari bridge, which would provide better access and safer passageway.

Mayor Nigel Bowen said although it was important to consider the overall resilience of the district’s roading network, the council needed to be mindful of expenditure.

‘‘This will cut into our sealing budget. In another year or so time, if we do have a two-lane bridge, then this resealing will be seen as less important.’’

Cr Richard Lyon said upgrading the Arundel-Belfield Rd would be ‘‘a bit previous’’.

‘‘At this stage, I’m coming to the view that we should let this sit a while. Once the river is secure again, I think we will look at things differently,’’ Lyon said.

The council’s land transport manager Andrew Dixon said if the council did decide to go ahead with the upgrade, it would not necessarily affect the business case for the two-laning of the Orari bridge.

‘‘The business case for the twolaning of the Orari bridge stacks up,’’ Dixon said.

Crs Barbara Gilchrist and Paddy O’Reilly also agreed that the council needed to campaign for the two-laning.

‘‘I just think we need to as a council push NZTA to get the bridge going. I think the evidence is there that it is really needed. We need to put our foot on the throat,’’ O’Reilly said.