New bridge open at creek mouth

Visiting Oamaru, and enjoying the new pedestrian bridge, is Uma Reid (9), of the Philippines. Photos: Hamish MacLean

A timber suspension bridge now spans Oamaru Creek at its mouth.

The pedestrian bridge replaces a concrete pedestrian bridge over the creek north of Friendly Bay, condemned in 2014 and demolished in 2016.

Construction supervisor Niek Broekman, a civil engineering intern from the Netherlands, left, and Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher walk across the Oamaru Creek suspension pedestrian bridge on Thursday.

The bridge is planned to form a link to a future cycleway from Oamaru Harbour up the coast to North Oamaru, but for now most notably leads from the busy Oamaru Harbour to the derelict, category 2 historic place former Oamaru freezing works building, built in 1886.

Waitaki District Council assets committee chairman Cr Bill Kingan said the bridge was part of an "evolving" area.

"It’s an extension of something that’s just developing all the time," he said.

Further, he said, he hoped "someone falls in love with [the freezing works building] and wants to do it up".

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said it had "taken a while to get the replacement in place ... but it has been worth it."

In February 2016, the assets committee recommended an entirely different project — a $57,500, 17m concrete bridge.

The $130,000 timber design that ultimately found favour with the council received a $56,000 subsidy from the NZ Transport Agency.

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz

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