Dunedin city councillors have voted to accept ownership of a historic but dilapidated pedestrian footbridge at Ravensbourne, as well as a $274,000 repair bill.
The move comes after a council working party chaired by Cr Andrew Noone made four recommendations to yesterday's infrastructure services committee meeting.
The recommendations, approved by councillors, included that the council accept responsibility for the bridge and essential repairs costing $124,000, to be carried out by the middle of this year.
Less essential maintenance work - expected to cost an estimated $150,000 - would be planned for some time in the next decade. A separate $20,000 pathway would also be built in 2011-12, providing alternative pedestrian access from State Highway 88 to the shared pathway on the edge of Otago Harbour.
The alternative access would cater for those unable to use the bridge, including the elderly or disabled and those with bikes or buggies. All decisions would be subject to approval at the next full council meeting on March 28.
It was the latest twist in a long-running wrangle between the city council, Otago Regional Council and KiwiRail over who owned the footbridge and was responsible for its upkeep.
The dilapidated structure - believed to be one of the last New Zealand examples featuring an Edwardian lattice-truss design - has been closed since August 2009 pending repairs, which have been delayed by the continued back-and-forth.
Yesterday's decision comes after councillors at last month's committee meeting initially refused to accept ownership of the bridge, instead establishing the working party to consider ownership issues.
That prompted further disagreement between KiwiRail and council staff, while Cr Noone reiterated his belief the council already owned the bridge.
Some councillors at last month's meeting wanted ownership of the bridge to be rejected outright, to avoid any demand for council funding, while others worried the historic structure would be lost as a result.
Yesterday's decisions came despite some opposition, with Cr Syd Brown arguing against the transfer of funds from another council budget to cover the expenditure.
Cr Kate Wilson said the decisions and spending should be deferred until councillors could consider the project against "bigger picture" access and heritage issues. Cr Bill Acklin voted for the recommendations despite questioning the need for both the bridge and the alternative pathway.
Cr Colin Weatherall warned the safety of pedestrians crossing State Highway 88 to reach the bridge would need consideration. Cr Noone acknowledged the need for a "difficult decision", but said the bridge was valued by the community and the city had already taken the lead in promoting its heritage.
"It's a structure that will be well used, and I would like to think, in years to come, future generations will acknowledge the decision we made to retain it," he said.
The recommendations - including a request for the New Zealand Transport Agency to review pedestrian safety issues around the bridge - were approved by majority vote.
