Derelict Ruatiti bridge repair may get council funding

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 641, 18 June 1996, Page 3

Derelict Ruatiti bridge repair may get council funding

A Mangatiti Road bridge that members of the motoring public are unlikely to ever see may be repaired with financial help from ratepayers. An approach by the Cornelius family to the Waimarino Community Board for help in repairing the derelict, unsafe bridge received a favourable response when it came up at their June meeting. The Mangatiti Road is a totally inaccessible unmaintained public road, with the very old wooden bridge on the property of Mr Cornelius. The bridge is across a 50m deep narrow gorge and links the Cornelius farmstead via a private constructed road with the maintained network of the Council on the Murumuru Road. Although not a bridge used by the public, it is still on the legalised alignment of the Mangatiti Road and as such is a liability of the council, the board heard. "The present condition of the bridge is now endangering his farmstead of being cut off from the outside world," stated deputy chief executive Chris Ryan in his report on the matter.

The board recommended to the council that it contribute to the purchase of some replacement bridge trusses plus additional decking timber and transportation to Mr Cornelius' property, and to de-legalise the road with further responsibility for the bridge diverting to Mr Cornelius. A rough estimate put the costs to the council at $25,000. This would have to come out of the Waimarino Ward rate, which would increase it to $27 1 ,000 across the ward. The project would add about $3 to an urban person' s rates whose land was valued at $14,000 and $42 to a rural ratapayer whose land was worth $180,000. Some board members felt the situation was quite different to the Wallis bridge (see separate story) in that it was a "totally remote bridge", very difficult to drive to across a mud track (also a private road) and that it was not likely that someone would inadvertently find themselves at the bridge. Member Gary Rawnsley said they had to be consistent (with the Wallis decision). '