THE opening of the new ‘landmark’ $18.4 million Ormiston Rd Bridge project is delayed for the second time, three more months.
The council’s roading manager Hugh Townsend says the project, which will eventually link Chapel and Murphys roads at the western and eastern ends of the park, has a new revised opening date. He says it will be “early October”.
Mr Townsend says there has been “nothing too serious” hampering the project’s construction, although wet and stormy weather has slowed progress in recent weeks.
The delay will disappoint east Manukau residents and workers, especially those in the Botany and Clevedon wards who pass through the Flat Bush new town area, as road works continue on rough potholed sections of Flat Bush School Rd delaying travel times.
The council said two years ago that the bridge project would cost $6.3m and be a focal point of the new 94ha Barry Curtis Park.
It also mentioned that an extra $6m would be spent on the upgrading of Ormiston Rd.
‘The bridge will be a real landmark at the entrance to Flat Bush and help put New Zealand’s newest town on the map,’ said councillor Alf Filipaina, Manukau City’s former transport committee chairman, in August 2006.
A recent inspection of the Ormiston Rd area reveals the cable-stayed bridge still requires a road surface to be laid, as does the road leading to the Chapel Rd intersection.
The other new bridge at the eastern end of the park is a long way from being completed and also needs a tarmac/asphalt surface.
Parts of the project that are completed are the installation of street lighting and the new road surface between the bridges.
Fulton Hogan is the contractor and project consultants are Beca Infrastructure and Moller Architects.
