The Government's $8 million contestable fund for maintaining the quality of the national cycle trail network might be a potential source of funding for Clyde's underpass, an annual plan hearing was told this week.
The Otago Central Rail Trail is backing plans for the underpass, under State Highway 8, which would link the town with the Clyde end of the trail, which is across the road. The trail trust was one of 23 submitters to the draft Central Otago annual plan about the underpass, all in support.
After hearing annual plan submissions this week, the Central Otago District Council decided the $300,000 underpass project should take priority in its works programme, for safety reasons. It resolved to seek a subsidy from the New Zealand Transport Agency and also explore options for raising the rest of the money needed.
Rail trail trust chairwoman Kate Wilson, of Middlemarch, said the trust would like to extend the trail into the town of Clyde, as far as the Clyde Railway Station building.
''It comes back to what you do with your Clyde railway station, but it would add value to the trail, going into Clyde, and there should be a [rail trail] passport stamp at the station.''
Mrs Wilson said some money for the trail extension, which would include the underpass, might be available from the Government's contestable trails ''maintenance'' fund.
''We might be able to get a small amount from the New Zealand Cycle Trails.''
Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key announced the extra funding in February this year, and said $8 million would be spent over four years to maintain the national cycle trail network, which was a valuable tourism asset. The contestable funding was for trails to respond to unexpected situations, such as storms washing out tracks, or for ''major enhancements'' to existing trails, Mr Key said.
His announcement said it was always expected that trails would be responsible for day-to-day maintenance. Mrs Wilson the trust was keen to help the underpass project proceed and thought the cost should be spread more widely than Central Otago ratepayers. The rail trail was an asset for the whole region, not just Central Otago.
''With all the gold that came out of Central in the 1860s and went to Dunedin, perhaps it's time they gave something back,'' she said. Clyde resident Janine Nevill was ''the voice'' behind an annual plan submission signed by 723 people.
She told the council the biggest concern was the safety of those crossing the highway, as it could be a ''terrifying experience'' with vehicles travelling at 100kmh. ''Ten years is a long time for a community to wait for an underpass to be built to provide a safe crossing. We don't want to wait until there's a fatality,'' Mrs Nevill said.
Former trust chairwoman Daphne Hull, of Alexandra, said a large proportion of the more than 12,000 visitors who travelled the whole length of the trail every year either left or arrived at Clyde. That number did not include the thousands who used the section between Alexandra and Clyde for recreation or as a regular route between work or school.
''The last thing we want is for an accident to occur,'' she said.
