The old Kopu Bridge – the former choke-point on the Thames/Auckland
highway – will be deconstructed. However, a key part of its history will
be preserved, says the NZTA.
“The deconstruction decision is the only viable option left for the
bridge, as no financially sound funding plan to retain the old bridge in
its current location was put forward by interested parties during the
consultation process,” says NZTA regional manager, Harry Wilson.
“The feedback we received during the consultation period confirmed that
the weight of public opinion is in favour of demolishing the old bridge.
However, the bridge’s historic ‘swing arm’ will be retained for present
and future generations to enjoy.”
Wilson says that an open day will be held prior to the start of
deconstruction, so that the local community will have a last opportunity
celebrate its history.
In its public consultation over the past year, the NZTA has engaged
widely with key stakeholders, including the New Zealand Historic Places
Trust (NZHPT), interest groups and local communities to evaluate options
for the fate of the old Kopu Bridge.
A publicity campaign inviting feedback from the public about their views
on the future of the old bridge was undertaken by the NZTA during
February and March this year. The majority of submitters – 69% –
supported demolition of the old bridge.
Formal expressions of interest (EOI) for adaptive re-use of the bridge
were sought, by initiating a nationwide publicity campaign. This call
for expressions of interest in September 2012, attracted a number of
proposals for the old bridge’s future.
Of these, the Historic Kopu Bridge Society Inc’s proposal was identified
as suitable for further development into a business case. The society
presented its business case to the NZTA in May 2013, and asked the
agency to transfer ownership of the bridge to the society, to enable the
restoration of the bridge for walking and cycling only.
However, Wilson says the NZTA’s evaluation of the business case
indicated that the society had either not taken into account or
sufficiently estimated the costs associated with a number of the
activities required for the safe and sustainable future operation and
maintenance of the bridge. “The reality is that it would cost about
$2.3M to upgrade the bridge to safely use it for walking and cycling,
plus around $250K every year to maintain it.
“We applaud the efforts of the Society’s members in trying to find a way
to preserve the bridge for future use and acknowledge how disappointing
this decision must be for them and others who share their vision,
including the NZ Historic Places Trust.
“However, it was made very clear throughout the consultation process
that any business case would need to identify a robust source for the
significant funding required for the bridge’s long-term future. No
proposals received – nor the society’s business case – achieved this
aspect,” says Wilson.
