Wellington's City to Sea Bridge. Photo: RNZ / Pretoria Gordon
Wellington's City to Sea Bridge, slated for demolition, could now be set for renewal work instead.
Work preparing the bridge for demolition was halted last week while the council waited for recommendations from the government's earthquake-prone buildings review.
Wellington's City to Sea Bridge, which was built to provide a link between the waterfront and city centre. Photo: Supplied/ Tony Hisgett CC BY 2.0
Mayor Tory Whanau said last week that with a government announcement imminent, it was sensible to wait and see what happened.
"That way, if any new options emerge as a result of the review recommendations, we can reassess our plans for the bridge."
The council only got the green light to go ahead with demolition recently after a court case challenging the plan failed.
Wellington's City to Sea Bridge. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
An email from the council's chief operating officer, James Roberts, to councillors, seen by RNZ, said whatever the outcome of the review, maintenance work that had been postponed over the past few years needed to be done on the bridge, as well as the Capital E building.
This was to make it ready in time for the library and civic square precinct reopening in March next year.
"It makes sense for us to get the renewal/upgrade work done on the external aspects ... now," Roberts wrote.
"This will require us to do work in public spaces, and depending on the extent of the remediation work, will require limiting public access."
He said there was always a "Plan B". Staff would report back to councillors with more details on the renewal work and options for the Capital E building after the review was released.
Whana said in a statement on Wednesday that she had always wanted the lowest-cost option for the bridge.
"If government law changes mean that it is cheapest to leave the bridge as it is, then I would be open to that," she said.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
She said she has been assured by the council chief executive that no further work would be done on the bridge or the Capital E building before the end of this month.
Councillor and mayoral candidate Diane Calvert said commonsense and reality have prevailed.
"As Mayor, I will put a stop to icons of Wellington being left to rot to support their demise because some no longer want them to exist, e.g. Khandallah Pool, Begonia House, and the City to Sea bridge."
The bridge has been fenced off since last week, but protesters have been removing them, forcing the council to reinstall them.
A protest of about 40 people on the City to Sea Bridge in Wellington protesting the demolishing the bridge. Photo: RNZ / Krystal Gibbens
Wellington City Council voted to demolish the bridge late last year.
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