At an annual plan hearing, Dunedin Tunnels Trail Trust chairman Brent Irving asked for the council’s support to get the trail’s final sections over the line.
The project’s first stage, through the Chain Hills Tunnel, was 20 years in the making and opened late last year.
When finished, the trail will link Dunedin’s central city to Otago’s wider cycle network via two historic tunnels.
Granting access to the Caversham Tunnel was vital for the trail’s final stages and should be a priority for the council, Mr Irving said at the hearing on Wednesday.
‘‘We’re not actually asking the council for any hard cash here. We’re just asking for support.’’
‘‘This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,’’ he said.
‘‘We only need 7km of trail to complete this track.’’
One hundred of 144 annual plan submissions supported further trail funding and assistance from the council.
On Thursday, Mr Irvine said a meeting earlier that day with the council on a revised memorandum of understanding with the trust was a promising start.
