Let’s ride: Long-awaited river path reopens after repairs

People commuting to the centre of Hamilton have a much easier and environmentally-friendly option of getting there, with the reopening of a section of the Te Awa River Path.

It is an event long awaited. The portion of the popular pathway, between London and Bryce streets, has been closed since mid-2018, after slips compromised the stability of the land underneath it.

And it represents in a very literal way the Waikato’s recovery from the economic hammering it suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last month the fast-tracked, five-month project won Hamilton City Council a national infrastructure award for ‘‘excellence in social impact’’.

The award was presented as part of a major symposium on rebuilding the country from the impacts of Covid-19.

Funded in partnership with Hamilton City Council, Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of

Business, Innovation and Employment, the project included more than 2.4 kilometres of ‘‘enhancements’’ on the western side of the Waikato River.

More than 15,000 plants were planted in the initiative, which focused on embracing the natural environment and opening up the city to the river. It provided jobs for 50 people and provided practical, hands-on training to teach lifelong skills.

At a ceremony to officially open the path yesterday,

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said she was ‘‘absolutely thrilled’’ the project had been completed in time for summer.

‘‘The river ride path is one of Hamilton’s most popular outdoor spaces and these repairs have been a long, long time coming – too long.

‘‘There have been a lot of wins from this project and the fact that the costs were shared between three partners is one of them. But it’s also been great to see 50 people employed and gaining skills that some of them are already using in new jobs.

‘‘Schick Civil Construction did a great job and went above and beyond to deliver really good outcomes for the city.’’

Deputy mayor Geoff Taylor said the river paths offered users a safe network for alternative transport and provided a vital link to the central city.

‘‘We’re doing everything we can do make it easier to get people into the central city and providing safe cycling paths is part of that’’.