Bridge turned into visual delight

Street murals are nothing new, but anyone passing under Naenae’s Daysh Street bridge for the first time is in for a surprise.

Murals on the Cambridge Terrace and Oxford Terrace underbridges reveal the flamboyant and colourful imagination of artist Dan Mills.

Dan is an accomplished fine artist who has painted several hundred street murals in the past decade and divides his time between Wellington, Auckland and Prague.

He was commissioned by the council to execute the work in an area that had become a hotspot for graffiti. His work is protected with a product that allows removal of graffiti without harming the artwork underneath.

Graffiti eradication officer Delly Ranginui ays the entire railway corridor is prone to such vandalism. Because of safety considerations, contractors can work only during specified maintenance times, slowing the repair work.

Delly says the council has obtained approval to use periodic detention teams to remove graffiti elsewhere in the city, a move he says should help to cut the overall cost of such work.

Once the council receives a report of graffiti, he says, workers remove it in nearly all cases within 48 hours.

Legislation empowering Hutt City Council to remove graffiti on private property is currently before a select committee of Parliament.