Transport specialists appointed

Specialists are on board to help build a business case which will define Cambridge’s transport infrastructure for the next 30 years.

Waipā District Council has appointed Invise as lead consultants for the Cambridge Connections project. Council has allocated $300,000 for the project and work has gathered pace since the adoption of the Waipā Transport Strategy in May this year. That strategy formally confirmed the need for a third bridge in Cambridge.

Invise, an infrastructure advisory company, has already led the Cambridge Connections Stakeholder Group in its first workshop. The group includes Elected Councillors and Cambridge Community Board members plus iwi representatives. It also includes those with a direct impact on the transport system including Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, the heavy freight industry, passenger transport planning experts and others.

Group manager service delivery Dawn Inglis said the first Cambridge Connections workshop drove home the complexity of the project and laid out the requirements of a Waka Kotahi NZTA business case. That business case will be essential to securing a 51 per cent government subsidy for a third bridge in Cambridge. Without it, the full cost of the bridge would have to come from ratepayers across the district, she said

“However this project is not just about a bridge. It’s about how to build the best possible transport network for Cambridge, taking into account existing infrastructure, climate change and the changing needs of a growing population.”

The Cambridge Connections business case will be complete by June next year. Implications will be considered as part of the Council’s 2024-2034 10-year plan.