The council last week put out a tender to construction companies for a planned boardwalk between Portobello Boat Club and Portobello township.
Tender documents said design works had been completed and consents received for the 3m-wide and 225m-long boardwalk and a contract would be awarded by May 1 when works would start.
The plan comes after councillors last year voted 9-6 to include the unfunded parts of the ‘‘Peninsula Connection’’ project in the council’s nine-year plan.
At the time Cr Christine Garey, who pushed hard for the project, said staff had potentially brought the extension down from the previous price of $24m to $18.5m.
She said NZTA would not fund the sections of road because its criteria did not include things such as tourism, which the road provided access for.
The tender documents said it was intended for the boardwalk to be similar to others on the peninsula, including the one at Raynbirds Bay.
Potential building partners were warned the location of the boardwalk in a marine environment demanded strict environmental controls during the construction period and in the materials used.
The adjoining sea walls were archaeological sites and a hulk wreck was within the construction zone.
It was also possible other archaeological artefacts could be discovered during construction.
The council also said it wanted to ensure delays on the road were as limited as possible and highlighted the interruptions experienced by peninsula residents in recent years.
‘‘Residents on the peninsula in Portobello and beyond have experienced years of road closures and traffic management delays for construction of other stages of the peninsula cycleway.’’
— Allied Media
