Cornelius bridge red tape cut

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 677, 11 March 1997, Page 16

Cornelius bridge red tape cut

Red tape wrapped around the Cornelius bridge issue looks to have been finally cut away, meaning the repairs to the remote bridge in the Ruatiti Valley can now proceed. Ruapehu District councillors agreed to a proposal which would see the council contribute to the repair of the bridge as long as the Cornelius family agreed to take over the future' maintenance of the bridge. Councillors heard that it now depends on the co-opera-tion of the contractor as to how soon the repairs can be effected. However, the issue was not without debate, with Crs Stuart Shaw and Graeme Cosford opposed to the deal because they were concerned that no provision for public access, if required in the future, was included in the deal with the property owners. While the bridge is on public land, the physical road line is on private land since the original road has fallen into the river. Thus, public access is under the control of the Cornelius family. "My concern is over future problems of access and that 10 years down the track people are going to look back on this decision and wonder what on earth this council was thinking of," said Cr Cosford. .