Christchurch East MP Reuben Davidson has called on the Government to pay its share of the upgrade the Pages Road Bridge, a critical infrastructure link that has significantly deteriorated since the earthquake.

Davidson said “If you live in New Brighton, or if you come and visit New Brighton, and if you’ve been across the bridge, you know that it has definitely seen better days.

“It got damaged in the earthquake. It’s had some temporary repairs, but it’s really nearing the end of its useful life. It carries our power, our fibre, our water, in and out of New Brighton. It is essentially a lifeline for New Brighton. Should we ever need to leave in a hurry, and that has happened in the past, we know that this bridge doesn’t have the capacity.”

To address the issue, Davidson announced a meeting at the bridge and the launch of a petition to advocate for a new bridge.

“I’m having a meeting here at the bridge at 1 pm, (Tuesday)  and I am launching a petition to build the bridge. Council has done great work consulting about a design for a replacement bridge. We need central government to come to the party with the funds required to build a new one. So come on down and join me, your local MP, Reuben Davidson, here at the bridge today, Tuesday at 1 pm, and we’ll get this petition launched, and we’ll get the message out there: build that bridge.”

Davidson also praised local efforts, saying, “The community has been calling for a new bridge, and our local Councillor Celeste Donovan has done great work getting a commitment from Council. I’ve also had positive engagement with Council on the issue during the Long Term Plan submission process. My call today is for central government to step up and pay their share; it’s an unfair burden for ratepayers to have to foot the bill alone.”

The Pages Road Bridge is included in the Council’s Long Term Plan, but additional government funds are essential to make the upgrade a reality.