We recently received an update from the people at the Waterview Alliance, the motorway and tunnel builders who are now also building the Waterview Shared Path. The great news is that work is coming along nicely, and we are now seeing progress on the three key bridges of the project – the Alford Street Bridge linking Waterview suburb with the Unitec Campus, the boardwalk between Phyllis Reserve and Harbutt Reserve, and the rail overbridge at Soljak Street.
Here’s what the Alliance has to say on the progress:
It’s so great to see construction under way – especially when like many of us, you have waited a long 5 years since the original Board of Inquiry decision for things to get to this stage!
Very soon (not too far into 2017, one hopes), we’ll be riding this great new path. It will not only provide a local and longer-distance link, but also a backbone for on-road cycle projects to attach to. And just as building big motorway routes helps build the numbers of cars, it will certainly work for bikes too.
Below, a few recent tweets showing works on the Oakley Creek Bridge:
#3 Alford Street Bridge for Waterview Shared Path being built as part of our project #Waterview2MtAlbert #shortcut pic.twitter.com/Xp5AbxG6pq
— Waterview Connection (@WCnow) June 21, 2016
Construction underway for Oakley Creek bridge as part of Waterview Cycleway pic.twitter.com/w7UFxRtWdF
— Luke Christensen (@lukechristensen) June 25, 2016
Further south of the project, another big item is nearing completion. Crossing Hendon Reserve from near Underwood Reserve will be the enormous archway of the Hendon Bridge, another walking and cycleway route, this one part of the SH20 motorway-adjacent path.
And here are some photos taken by the designers at Warren and Mahoney:
Some site photos taken yesterday at Hendon Bridge by Tom Locke from our AKL studio – cc @WCnow pic.twitter.com/4owWNTbD4w
— Warren and Mahoney (@warrenmahoney) May 18, 2016
We are hearing from so many people who are already riding into town from Avondale or south of Owairaka / Mt Albert, and who can’t wait for these paths to be completed. These are the people who brave the roads as they are. We look forward to seeing them joined on these paths by others giving biking a first try! Together, we’ll be creating a whole new network – not just of paths, but of people.
Speaking of connecting people: while we help frame the big picture, local folks are getting busy with events, gatherings, and activism. If you’re on Facebook, check out a few local ‘bike burb’ groups around the area: Bike Avondale, Puketapapa Active Transport Haven (Mt Roskill), and Bike Pt Chev. It’s all coming together.
And lastly – the Albert Eden and Whau Local Board are currently consulting on the names of several park spaces and bridges and along the route, including a name for the ‘Hendon Bridge’ above. Have a look at their suggestions, and provide your feedback!
