NZ Transport Agency Wellington Regional Office

8 April 2009

Spanning the years.

Forget Daylight Saving, the clock turned back more than 30 years when ex-Petone Deputy Mayor Pat Coles stepped onto the new Korokoro overbridge yesterday.

Mr Coles as Deputy Mayor of Petone Borough Council (PBC), Chairman of the Planning Committee and member of the Works Committee was acting-Mayor when he had the honour of opening the old Korokoro Bridge on 28 November 1978.

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Regional Director Deborah Hume says the old Korokoro Bridge was demolished last month as part of the Dowse to Petone Upgrade project and the new overbridge which creates direct access between Hutt Road and Korokoro opens at the end of May.

“There is no planned official opening of the new bridge so we are delighted that Mr Coles has been able to take the time to visit us and see the new bridge nearing completion,” says Dr Hume.

The contact came about when NZTA Project Manager Hannah Hyde was talking to Te Omanga Hospice Funding Development Coordinator Helen Kelland at the Dowse Interchange Public Walkover last month. Ms Kelland knew of Mr Coles’ involvement in PBC and Ms Hyde thought it would be interesting for him to come back and take a look at the project.

Mr Coles says PBC was very forward thinking for its time and invested a lot in local infrastructure.

“This was at a time when local councils were not keen to invest in capital projects, but we saw the long-term benefit in making these sorts of improvements for the area,” says Mr Coles.

The Dowse to Petone Upgrade project continues to run to programme with yet another milestone being reached after Easter when SH2 southbound traffic shifts to its new, permanent route next week.

ENDS

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