Cycle Trail Focus on Bridges
Major bridge work is scheduled for the cycle trail over the next few months, with the second crossing under way soon and the Wairoa Bridge at Brightwater altered to make it easier for users.
The Waimea bridge, due to be finished by 1 November this year, will complete the Tasman’s Great Taste Trail’s Coastal section from Richmond through to Mapua. The trail, which is already popular, will be fully operational to cater for the summer influx of visitors.
The same company building the Waimea crossing will do alterations to the Wairoa Bridge at Brightwater, which have been requested by a number of users. This work will include taking out the 90-degree turn and steep ramp from the Brightwater side and replacing it with a continuous straight ramp on a gentler gradient. The Richmond side will still contain the 90-degree turn, but the gradient of the ramp will be eased.
The bridge will be closed for one working week (Mon-Fri) in October this year. An alternative off-road route cannot be provided during that time, so cyclists will have to use the State Highway to get from Ranzau Road to Brightwater and return.
Meanwhile, potential hazards on four legs and two are being addressed in a proposed new bylaw. Horses – and hoofed animals generally – will be banned from the trail because they would cut up the surface, might be spooked by cyclists, and pose a collision risk to riders rounding a corner at speed, for instance.
Dogs are fine, if under control, on most parts of the trail, but will be off-limits near Waimea Estuary and other sections passing near birds and other sensitive wildlife, says Dugald Ley, development engineer, project coordinator for Tasman District Council.
The planned bylaw imposes a “walking only” restriction on the Spooners Tunnel, which will become part of the trail in three or four years, he says. Walkers will also use the tunnel, and a drainage ditch down one side is a hazard for slightly off-course riders – easy to do in the darkness.
Council values your input on the proposed bylaw.