Review to be undertaken into Cambridge Connections

An independent review will be undertaken into the development of the Cambridge Connections business case.

Mayor Susan O’Regan announced the review today, saying it would be an important reset for both the council, and the community, as they looked towards the next steps of the project.

The Cambridge Connections project focuses on all components of Cambridge’s transport network, including its river crossings. It considers how to reduce traffic demand, provide transport alternatives, and maximise use of existing infrastructure. Borne out of the Waipā Transport Strategy, the business case is being developed to seek funding from the New Zealand Transport agency for further investigations to take place.

To date, over 350 pieces of feedback on the different aspects of the draft business case have been received. A significant amount of feedback focusses on a proposed location for a potential third bridge which was met with anger by residents in the suggested ‘blue zone’. All bridge locations were taken off the table earlier this month in response to concerns raised by residents. Feedback was still being sought on other aspects of the project until Friday, May 24.

O’Regan said the independent review would be an opportunity to recognise where things could have been done better, reflect on what had caused concern, and reset to get the project ‘back on track’.

“This is a 30-year project that both the council and the community need to work on together. We will also be reviewing where and how, this project should be managed within the organisation, and the ongoing governance arrangements,” she said.

Chief executive Garry Dyet said the review would be undertaken by WSP, a nationally recognised, qualified, and independent reviewer. They had been engaged to review the process of developing the business case, the consistency with the principles of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s business case process, and to provide recommendations for improvement.

“This project has a number of moving parts, and we need to understand what can done better so we can ensure it is applied to not only Cambridge Connections, but any other future project with a high community impact.”

While no firm timeframe could be put on the completion of the review, the results would be shared with the community once the outcomes had been considered.