A $5.5 million Roxburgh-Lawrence cycle and walkway trail, which could attract thousands of visitors to Central and South Otago, could be open in about five years.
The Roxburgh-Lawrence Trail working party yesterday confirmed conditional approval had been given to the proposed venture, which had been investigated for the past 18 months.
The proposed 73km trail will run from Lake Roxburgh to Lawrence via Beaumont, using sections of the railway that was closed in 1968.
It will cross 24 properties, some of which are privately owned, and travel alongside parts of State Highway 8.
"We are confident this trail will offer visitors a different experience from the Otago Central Rail Trail," said working party chairman Rod Peirce, referring to the highly popular 150km trail from Clyde to Middlemarch.
Funding to build and manage the Roxburgh-Lawrence trail would be sought from private funders and corporate sponsorship.
There had already been expressions of interest from people wanting to help.
Mr Peirce emphasised there was much to do before the trail became a reality, notably reaching agreements and easements with landowners.
"We've built up a good relationship with the owners but over the next months or so there will be lots of discussions."
The working party had set a three-year target for the opening, hopefully to coincide with Lawrence's 150th celebrations in 2011, but Mr Peirce said a more realistic time-frame was closer to five years.
The trail would be "user pays" in that tourist operators would be expected to buy concessions to take groups on it.
Individuals would not be charged a fee to ride or walk the trail.
Annual operating costs were estimated between $320,000 and $550,000 while annual maintenance costs could be about $90,000, the working party said.
The results of the working party's feasibility study, funded by the Central Otago and Clutha District councils, were announced in Roxburgh yesterday, attended by Mayors Malcolm Macpherson and Juno Hayes.
"The rail trail is used as an excuse to come to Central by many people. This [new] trail is an opportunity waiting to be exercised," Dr Macpherson said.
Mr Peirce said the working party had almost completed the documentation to form a charitable trust.
