Three options for a bridge crossing Dunedin's upgraded Caversham highway have been identified for public consultation.
The plans have been drawn up by the New Zealand Transport Agency, and include both a pedestrian-only bridge option and two different options for a road bridge connecting Mornington with Riselaw Rd.
All three options were endorsed for public consultation at a meeting of the Dunedin City Council's infrastructure services committee on Tuesday, with councillors indicating their preferred option was an enhanced road bridge.
The option would include an off-ramp connecting State Highway 1 to Riselaw Rd, something the standard road bridge design would not have incorporated, a report by council senior transportation planner Lisa Clifford said.
However, neither road bridge option would feature a connection between South Rd and Riselaw Rd, or a southbound on-ramp from South Rd to SH1, the report said.
Budget constraints meant a connection with South Rd was not possible, as it would require greater realignment and regrading work than could be afforded, the report said.
The proposals would be released for public consultation within days, with a public open day to discuss the plans scheduled for March 17.
It is the latest step in the two-stage project to upgrade the Caversham highway, at an estimated cost of up to $49 million.
The NZTA has allocated $19.5 million for the first stage of the project - upgrading the route to a four-lane, median-separated highway between Andersons Bay Rd and Barnes Dr - work on which began last month.
Stage two was in the design stage and would widen the rest of the route to Lookout Point, with an NZTA funding commitment already in place.
A road bridge crossing the redeveloped highway had been removed from original plans for the project in 2009, but later reinstated by NZTA's national board, Ms Clifford's report said.
NZTA project manager Simon Underwood told the Otago Daily Times the bridge options would add between $6 million and $6.5 million to the estimated $15.5 million cost of stage two of the project.
Funding would not be confirmed until early next year, once consultation had been completed, private land and consents secured, and costs reviewed and confirmed, he said.
Construction was expected to begin sometime between June and August next next, as construction of stage one was drawing to a close, and take two years to complete, he said.
Addressing this week's committee meeting, Mr Underwood said the road bridge designs had been simplified to fit budgets, allowing it to be included, with the focus on safety and connectivity.
Options to link with Riselaw Rd as well had been explored, but were not affordable, he said.
Councillors at Tuesday's meeting also asked NZTA staff to report back to the committee with a plan detailing visual amenity improvements and pedestrian and cycleway provisions proposed for the overbridge area and the rest of the Caversham highway project.
