U-turn on location of Cambridge’s third bridge
Avina Vidyadharan
A preferred location for a third bridge in Cambridge has been shelved following community backlash.
While another bridge is essential to keep up with the town’s growing population, mayor Susan O’Regan says now is not the right time to pin down a location.
Waipā District Council initiated plans last month to reshape the town’s transport system over coming decades and a preferred location for a new bridge between Cambridge and Leamington was a big part of it.
The new bridge would be wide enough to cater to different modes of transport while Victoria Bridge - with a remaining life span of 25 to 30 years - would have stopped carrying vehicles.
However, many residents felt sideswiped by the preferred bridge option zone. At the council’s drop-in session later last month, the mayor and other councillors were met with anger and frustration from affected residents and property owners.
The information session fronted by transportation manager Bryan Hudson became heated and at one point, O’Regan called for staff to be respected.
The hui was shut down 50 minutes early as things turned gnarly.
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, O’Regan said that on reflection a lot more work had to be done on a proposed bridge location.
“We will proceed with a business case for the funding of more detailed investigations, but we will not be promoting a future bridge location at this point in time.
“I appreciate that this has been a very stressful time for those people in the affected zone, and I hope this decision, and the fact that all potential river crossing options will be back on the table in the future, goes some way to alleviating their concerns.
“Equally, to those people wanting a third bridge, we have heard your concerns too. We will still proceed with developing plans but will do so with a view to understanding all our options with more evidence to help guide us.”
Council has extended the timeframe to 5pm on May 24 to received feedback from the community on the Cambridge Connections project.
Once feedback was received, analysed, and the loop with the community was closed, the council will work on preparing a funding business case to submit to the transport agency.