New clip-on to give Ashhurst Bridge walkers and cyclists safe passage – Stuff.co.nz

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New Zealand Transport Agency project manager Anna Sanson talks through the new clip-on for the Ashhurst Bridge.

Cyclists and walkers will soon be able to make a safe passage across the Ashhurst Bridge on State Highway 3.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has revealed its plans for a new clip-on to the side of the bridge, designed to give walkers and cyclists a safe route across the busy road and connect to other shared pathways.

Access to the Manawat Gorge has traditionally been across the two-lane bridge, which has a 100kmh speed limit, but no room for cyclists or pedestrians.

The transport agency held a drop-in session at Ashhursts Village Valley Centre on Thursday to inform people about the new clip-on and to ask for feedback.

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Agency project manager Anna Sanson said the move would cost $6-8 million, but that included a lot of earthworks and a path from the bridge into Ashhurst.

Sanson said the project had been long planned and the agency wanted to let people know it was happening.

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The new clip-on shared pathway will make it safe for cyclists and pedestrians to cross the bridge.

People have been talking about a clip-on bridge for a long time. Weve done the assessment to determine we can do it.

The agency has done structural and hydraulic work to make sure the existing bridge could handle the weight of the clip-on, which would be level with the road, Sanson said.

Once the clip-on is finished, people will be able to access the shared pathway alongside the new Manawat Gorge replacement road.

The path at the Ashhurst end of the bridge will connect to the Manawat River pathway so people can travel from Ashhurst to Palmerston North.

Its a great facility for the community, especially for Ashhurst.

There will also be a pathway from the bridge towards Ashhurst, so people can park at Ashhurst Domain and walk or cycle across the bridge.

We know theres a lot of people who walk from Ashhurst out to the Manawat Gorge. We want to make it safe for people.

There will be a viewing platform in the middle of the clip-on.

The transport agency will now collate feedback and then start design work in the next couple of months.

Sanson said construction would likely start in September next year.

She said most of the feedback had been people wanting the bridge built quickly.

The agency was yet to determine whether work on the bridge would be done from the bridge or from the river.

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New clip-on to give Ashhurst Bridge walkers and cyclists safe passage - Stuff.co.nz