In a last bid to share the cost of a new Kawarau Falls bridge near Frankton, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) has drafted a formal submission to the Southland regional transport committee.
Stephen Woodhead, chairman of the Otago regional transport committee, signed the draft submission which members will consider at a meeting today.
It is recommended the committee forward the submission to the ORC, with an expectation the council will approve its lodging with the Southland transport authority.
The submission to the draft Southland regional land transport programme for 2012-15 seeks endorsement of a collaborative approach towards funding a new $20 million Kawarau Falls bridge. The bridge on State Highway 6 is considered a strategic resource for both Otago and Southland.
The New Zealand Transport Authority has committed funds for the bridge's design and indicated construction could take place in the 2016-17 financial year, if approved.
However, the ORC's submission raises the possibility of earlier completion.
"If we work together, there may be an opportunity to bring this construction date forward," the submission to Southland states.
An earlier informal request to Southland to fund a new Kawarau Falls bridge jointly was "rebuffed", Mr Woodhead said in February.
