All the tenders for the project are in, and the Central Otago Queenstown Trail Network Trust is in the process of deciding which to accept.
Chairman Stephen Jeffery said this week a lot of the tenderers were ‘‘good to go’’.
‘‘They just see this as being a challenge’’.
The trail will be built on the opposite side of Lake Dunstan from State Highway 8, and the trust expects the job to be done by the end of next year.
Resource consent was granted by commissioner Gary Rae in February, despite concerns about potential rock falls.
Mr Rae said overall, geotechnical specialists considered rockfall could be managed within ‘‘acceptable levels’’.
The Cromwell Gorge trail is part of a proposed $26million network linking Alexandra, Cromwell, Queenstown and Wanaka.
Mr Jeffery said for the stretch of trail from Cromwell to Wanaka, the trust was still negotiating easements with landowners.
One sticking point is whether the trail can use a piece of Central Otago District Council land at Pisa Moorings.
Nearby residents have objected, and Mr Jeffery said the trust would be going back to the council to discuss the matter further.
Mr Jeffery said there were ‘‘some issues’’ elsewhere along the Cromwell to Wanaka route but declined to say what they were.
Asked when he would like to have access sorted out, Mr Jeffery said: ‘‘now’’.
However, he accepted there was a lot of negotiation that had to go on with landowners to get ‘‘an acceptable alignment’’.
‘‘That’s part of what you have to do.’’
Mr Jeffery said it was ‘‘highly unlikely’’ work would be done on sections of the trail if easements had not been secured for its full length.
The stretch along Lake Dunstan, south of Pisa Moorings, was in the process of being brought up to the national standard for cycle trails.
Mr Jeffery said the trust was ‘‘very conscious’’ of Wanaka’s big cycling community, which had been very supportive of what the trust was doing.
‘‘It’s just that we have to go through a process.
‘‘It just can take a long time ... and it can be a little bit frustrating.
‘‘We would have ideally liked to have been well under construction by now.’’
