Contractors working on Raglan’s new Kopua Bridge are concerned at the number of people trying to gain access to the construction area, even though it is surrounded with a safety fence and there are warning signs on display.
General Manager, Water & Facilities, Richard Bax says the safety fence is there for the public’s protection.
“The fenced compound and the work area are strictly off-limits to the public during construction, which will be ongoing until October this year.
“We understand there is a lot of local interest in the construction of the bridge and to gain access to the public toilets people need to walk around the complex. The safety fence is there to protect the public and public access to the construction area is simply not an option,” he said.
The Kopua Bridge construction project is on schedule. The first stage, which is now visible, has been to construct temporary staging to support the crane. Once this is complete, the new bridge will be constructed alongside this platform. The final stage will be to remove the existing bridge section by section from the harbour.
“Our aim with this project is to complete it on time and on budget with minimal disruption to the public and the marine environment. The contractors are making every effort to support this,” Mr Bax said.