The Queenstown Lakes District Council will decide soon whether to accept ownership of the one-lane bridge.
A decision is likely to hinge on an assessment of its piers and the nearby riverbed.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), which inherited the structure because it is a dam, wants to transfer its ownership and ongoing maintenance costs to the council for $1, once a replacement bridge is opened in 2017.
Two years ago, the council agreed in principle to take over the bridge if the benefits outweighed the costs.
It authorised staff to negotiate with the ministry to secure its continuing use for cyclists and pedestrians.
But an internal council email written by principal infrastructure manager Denis Mander in February said the ministry had ''refused to discuss the transfer directly'', instead referring the council to a Wellington-based consultant ''whose approach has been either council takes it over or MBIE will let it fall into disrepair''.
Work is expected to begin later this year on a replacement.
The NZTA's tender document for the project confirmed the existing bridge's surface would be refurbished and the bridge connected to walking and cycling tracks.
It also carries power, gas, water and sewerage connections that will not be immediately transferred to the new bridge because of the cost.
But the council must first consider a detailed assessment of the underwater structure being undertaken by NZTA.
It follows an engineering report commissioned by the council two years ago that concluded the bridge was susceptible to earthquake damage.
It also suggested the underwater structure - built with poor-quality, unreinforced concrete - was corroding.
