The timeline and cost of the project is not yet known, with the proposal to be considered in detail by Dunedin City councillors and staff after this month's elections.
A development plan was needed and money for the shared pathway would not be available until the 2011-12 financial year, meaning work was at least nine months from starting, Cr Colin Weatherall said at a press conference yesterday.
In the meantime, work would begin on new plantings and physical barriers - but not a large security fence - to keep people back from cliffs at Lawyers Head, as well as an emergency communication device.
Minor improvements to parking, signs and turning space would also be carried out with urgency on either side of the existing bollards, which would remain in place until the shared pathway was completed.
The details were confirmed by the Dunedin City Council hearings committee - chaired by Cr Weatherall - at yesterday's briefing, but would be discussed again at a full council meeting on Monday.
Cr Weatherall and committee members Crs Bill Acklin and Fliss Butcher considered about 260 submissions on the road's future, including a two-day public hearing, in August.
The committee members insisted they had listened to submitters and found the best solution to meet all users' needs.
"It's not a compromise between opening and closing. It's the best solution between our three minds we could offer to council," Cr Weatherall said.
Cr Acklin hoped, subject to council approval on Monday, the initial work could begin immediately and be completed by the end of the year.
Restricted hours for vehicle access were yet to be considered, but as an example, could be from 10am to 3pm daily, Cr Weatherall said.
Cr Weatherall said prickly plants, a ditch and a low fence were among options to keep the public away from cliffs in the area.
Cr Acklin said he hoped the solutions offered would provide a "window" for different users, while Cr Butcher said she had been swayed by the "many people" who wanted vehicle access restored.
Cr Acklin said he would "like to think" the work would be completed within one year.
The consultation was part of the partial review of the Ocean Beach Domain management plan, which governs the area including the road.
The road was closed in 2006 to allow construction of the council's $37 million, 1.1km outfall pipe, but had remained closed to vehicles since, apart from a brief period last year.
The proposals met mixed reactions yesterday, with Dunedin Amenities Society president Mick Field - who wanted the closed road to form part of a larger coastal walkway - saying the solution was "messy".
"It's a bit like the curate's egg - it's good in places... It's a shame they couldn't have made up their mind.
"They should be thinking about the recreational values and the conservation values, and not thinking about people sitting in a car who are too damned idle to get out the car and walk it," Mr Field said.
New Zealand Automobile Association Otago district chairman Dave Gamble believed members would support a compromise reinstating some vehicle access, as did Grey Power Otago president Jo Millar.
Living Streets Dunedin convener Judy Martin, who saw the road as a promenade, said the committee's proposal was "quite a reasonable solution".
THE PLAN
• Vehicle access to be reinstated, with time restrictions.
• Separate shared walking/cycling lane to be added.
• New speed restrictions and traffic calming measures.
• New signs, angled parking and litter management.
• New plantings, physical barriers, emergency communication device at Lawyers Head.
• Changes implemented after a development plan for road completed; timeline considered after election.
• Costs yet to be confirmed.
