A new footpath and pedestrian bridge has opened in Wellsford which allows residents to walk from Rodney Street to Centennial Park without having to cross busy State Highway 1.

MP for Kaipara Ki Mahurangi, Auckland Council elected members and staff, Auckland Transport staff, Wharehine, Kiwirail, Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa and the Wellsford community attended a blessing conducted by Mātanga – Tikanga me Te Reo Māori Richard Nahi on 1 February.

The 1.8m-wide footpath runs from the exiting footpath at 68 Rodney Street to Centennial Park Road along the eastern side of the highway. A new footbridge east of the vehicle overbridge completes the footpath link over the railway tracks to Centennial Park Road.

Rodney Local Board Chair Brent Bailey says this footpath link is important to the Wellsford community who have waited a long time for safer pedestrian access across town.

“Footpaths are a priority for our local board and community who want to expand the network, and connect our residents to workplaces, schools and sports facilities.

“Our Wellsford community can now walk easily and safely from the town centre to businesses, the preschool and Centennial Park. For many years, they had to cross the state highway to get to the other side of town.”

Funded by the Rodney Transport Targeted Rate with a contribution from Waka Kotahi / NZ Transport Agency, the footpath and bridge took 10 months to build at a cost of $3.9 million.

The project’s biggest challenge was installing the 76-tonne concrete beam for the overbridge in June which required two cranes and an overnight road closure.

Local board member Colin Smith, who represents the Wellsford area, says the new footpath and bridge is a game changer for the town.

“This new asset will make a huge difference to our community who can now walk safely across town to shop, play sport and enjoy the park.”

Bailey thanks the project team for their efforts engaging with local stakeholders, and Caroline Milner, for her efforts in drawing the community together, around the project.

The targeted rate delivers transport projects in the local board area which are excluded from the Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-2031. It follows the principle that revenue collected from each of the board’s four subdivisions is only used for projects delivered in that subdivision.

Funding criteria used to decide where new footpaths are built includes busy school routes, well-used pedestrian routes, and linking existing and new developments to extend the pedestrian network.

Bailey says, “It’s very important that these footpath projects deliver the maximum benefit for Rodney.”