A simple solution for the bridge

Nicola Young writes:

This week’s vote to demolish Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge is a waste of money that will needlessly remove a much-loved part of our waterfront, and replace it with an at-grade pedestrian crossing over six lanes of traffic.

Incredibly, several leading engineers have said demolition isn’t required, including advice to councillors from Spencer Holmes (shared below) during this week’s Environment and Infrastructure Committee debate.

We’re told the bridge is a seismic risk because of the few occasions when a large number of people stand on the ‘deck’ (which includes the roof of Capital E) during major events at Civic Square. But demolition is an extreme measure, and there are smarter, more cost-effective solutions, like using temporary barriers and security staff to restrict numbers for these rare events. This would reduce the bridge to ‘Importance Level 2’, like all other footbridges in the country, rather than ‘Importance Level 3’ – the standard required for large public venues.

Another Councillor said that this solution was looked into but rejected. I’m certainly against spending tens of millions of dollars on strengthening the bridge, but if there is a way to keep the bridge without having to spend tens of millions either demolishing it or strengthening it, that would be a great thing.

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