John Bridgman: The Influencers
We’ve delivered roads, parks, laneways, a promenade and we have two of the largest buildings in the city under construction – Te Pae and the Metro Sports facility.
But later this year Ōtākaro will take on a new type of project with the North Frame pedestrian bridge. The 32-metre-long, four-metre-wide bridge will connect Cambridge and Oxford Terraces between Colombo and Manchester Streets.
The bridge sits on what we call a ‘desire line’, the route people would take over the bend in the Avon River if it were possible. It will make the trip through the city along the Avon River Precinct quicker for cyclists and pedestrians.
With residential and other private developments planned for the North Frame, it makes sense for us to get in now to do the work, ahead of an influx of people living, working and visiting this area. Christchurch City Council expressed a desire for the bridge to be functional, simple and low maintenance, and this concept design reflects that.
The bridge will run perpendicular to the river, to encourage approaching cyclists and scooter riders to reduce their speed and will mean the main vertical elements of the Taurapa sculpture, which was commissioned by the Seattle Sister City Committee in 1997, will not need to be moved. Work is likely to get underway around November and take about six months to complete.
Out of our long list of construction projects, I’m confident this will be the only one with the added challenge of having to work around the trout spawning season.
