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HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL
The Ride Stuff: Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate and Deputy Mayor Geoff Taylor try out the reopened and renovated section of the Te Awa River Trail.
Commuters to downtown Hamilton have a much easier and more environmentally friendly option to get there, with the reopening of a section of the Te Awa River trail.
It is a long awaited event. The part of the popular thoroughfare, between London and Bryce streets, has been closed since mid-2018, after slips compromised the stability of the ground below it.
And it represents in a very literal way the recovery of Waikato from the economic hammer it suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last month, the five-month fast-track project earned the Hamilton City Council a national infrastructure award for “excellence in social impact.” The award was presented as part of an important symposium on the reconstruction of the country from the impacts of Covid-19.
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Funded in partnership with the Hamilton City Council, Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the project included more than 2.4 kilometers of “improvements” on the western side of the Waikato River.
More than 15,000 plants were planted in the initiative, which focused on embracing the natural environment and opening the city to the river. It provided jobs for 50 people and provided practical training to teach life skills.
In a ceremony to officially open the way Monday afternoon, Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said she was “absolutely excited” that the project had been completed in time for the summer.
CHRISTEL YARDLEY / Things
Elder Sonny Manemos leads the way in reopening the Te Awa River Trail
“The River Trail is one of the most popular outdoor spaces in Hamilton and these repairs have taken a long, long time to come, way too long.
“We know that the public has been waiting for the road to be usable for a long time, so it’s great to see this section finally get back to work in time for the warmer months. And it means that I can use my electric bike more, which is great.
“There have been many achievements from this project and the fact that the costs were shared between three partners is one of them. But it’s also been great to see 50 people employed and gaining skills that some of them are already using in new jobs.
“Schick Civil Construction did a great job and did everything they could to deliver really good results for the city.”
CHRISTEL YARDLEY / Things
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate speaks at the catwalk reopening.
Deputy Mayor Geoff Taylor said the river roads offer users a safe network for alternative transportation and provide a vital link to the city center.
“We are doing everything we can to make it easier to get people downtown and providing safe bike lanes is part of that.
“It is part of a much larger work program to improve the city and turn it around to face the river, as it should.”
The section of the road is part of the larger Te Awa River walk, a 70 km road that follows the banks of the Waikato River from Ngaruawahia to Horahora.
The council’s replanting and improvement work was supported by a $ 1.5 million “government worker redeployment investment” administered by the Provincial Development Unit.
Waikato-Tainui iwi contributed to a series of “road-ready” training courses offered by municipal contractor Downer, to ensure that local cultural knowledge and practices were at the center of remediation.
