Councillor open bridge - with help

Local resident Michael Goldstein and Cr David Close cut the ribbon to open the Anzac Drive bridge to traffic for the first time. Several hundred onlookers watched a cultural display by children of the Wainoni Primary School at the Anzac Drive bridge opening.

City Councillor David Close was given the honour of cutting the ribbon to open the new Anzac Drive Bridge to mark his retirement after more than 20 years as a Council member.

He gave his speech on the sunny morning of 19 September in which he said the bridge had been worth waiting for.

He praised all associated with the design, building, and landscaping of the area.

Cr Close declared the bridge open and, ready with scissors to cut the red ribbon to officially open the bridge, he called out a local resident who had taken a long-time interest in the building of the bridge.

Cr Close accompanied Michael Goldstein to the ribbon and let him cut it on his behalf.

So another section of the $16 million Woolston-Burwood Expressway, a joint City Council-Transit NZ project, was open to traffic — and Cr Close, in the Austin Seven belonging to Mayor Garry Moore, was first over the bridge.

The final stage of the expressway, about 1.4km, will complete the link to Lyttelton.

It will run from Eureka Street, across Pages Road to join Bexley Road at Birch Street.

The ring road route then follows Bexley Road to Dyers Road, through the wastewater treatment ponds, and to the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Road.