Rotary and Momentum put footbridge on Council agenda
Published on 5 December, 2022
The Government’s November announcement of intensification infrastructure funding is great news for the Hamilton CBD. Momentum Waikato congratulates the Hamilton City Council for successfully negotiating this great result.
It is particularly pleasing that this move means the Pedestrian and Cycling Bridge across the river will get built, close to the new Waikato Regional Theatre. We played a key role in getting the bridge project to this point, something we haven't previously promoted publicly.
In 2020 Momentum Waikato partnered with Rotary Clubs of Hamilton, led in this by Don Law and John Gallagher, to commission and then work with Beca to produce the Concept Development Report required to get the bridge formally into the Hamilton City Council Long-Term Plan.
The project team engaged with Te Haa o te Whenua o Kirikiriroa, Bike Waikato, Living Streets Hamilton, Te Awa The Great NZ River Ride, Waikato Regional Council and various HCC folks to identify the best location for the new span - from the north side of the Waikato Museum to the south end of Memorial Park - and the immediate factors to consider in the various engineering options.
OPTIONS: Crossings considered by BECA and consulted groups for new footbridge, Option 4 was chosen as the most practical and effective.
That report was gratefully received by the Mayor and Councillors and development of the bridge project was subsequently budgeted into the HCC’s Long-Term Plan.
We then stepped away, having completed our part. The proposal always required central government funding of some kind, the HCC itself subsequently added the bridge to its application to central government for funding for intensification infrastructure. The Rotary Clubs of Hamilton intend to fundraise for the added cost of making sure the bridge is designed to be a spectacular icon for Kirikiriroa-Hamilton.
This is an example of Momentum Waikato fulfilling its role as a community leadership foundation, using the flexibility of our mission and credibility of our purpose and track record to strike the spark needed to make things happen.
We connect and convene in the community, sometimes funding key process steps not covered by others' remits, bridging the gap between the state and business to create 'three P' partnerships - Public-Private-Philanthropic. Always apolitical and non-partisan because we
are working for everyone.
Hope to see you on the new bridge the day it opens.
For a Better Waikato, for everyone, forever.
