Piece of history reduced to scrap metal

GONE: The dismantled footbridge at Papakura railway station.

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Papakura's old railway station footbridge is no more.

The footbridge, which dated to at least the 1930s, was demolished last week and is to be sold as scrap.

The structure was made of old metal railway tracks, imported from England in the 19th century, which were the wrong shape and couldn't be used, and wooden railway sleepers.

The bridge has been replaced with a modern concrete structure as part of the $4.9 million upgrade of the Papakura train station.

But some parts of the old bridge have been salvaged by Papakura deputy mayor Katrina Piggott who watched it being pulled down.

Ms Piggott retrieved some metal loops from the central part of the bridge, some bolts, parts of the handrail and pieces of timber. She plans to keep some herself and donate others to the local museum.

"I felt sick seeing it come down. I'm having trouble coming to terms with the bridge being down.

"To me it had major historical significance to the district. It's a bit like the monument - it's something Papakura is known for."

Money was the main barrier to saving the old footbridge, Ms Piggott says.

"If money wasn't an issue we would be restoring and strengthening it. Ideally it should have stayed exactly where it was forever and a day."

Over the past two months, as the deadline for demolition loomed, the Papakura District Council looked at whether it was possible to re-use parts of the bridge elsewhere or retain the old structure on-site.

In early July the council's district development committee decided to rescue at least part of the structure by re-using its arched trusses for new footbridges to be built over three streams at McClennan Park.

Removing, acquiring, storing, refurbishing and fitting the three sets of trusses to the new bridge decks was estimated to cost at least $150,000.

By the end of July the council was seeing whether it could save the bridge and restore it.

Restoring it would have cost about $1.5m.

After the Papakura Courier reported the council's decision it was flooded with letters, most opposed to saving the bridge.

The final blow came late last month when council staff told councillors it was not possible to save the bridge.

Ontrack, the government rail agency responsible for the bridge, did not support retaining it, and the bridge would have to be raised before the rail network is electrified so overhead wires can pass underneath it. This would mean the ramps and stairs would have to have been rebuilt to reach the raised deck and for disabled access.

Large metal mesh screens would also have had to go up to stop people touching the live wires.

The council accepted the officers' findings and decided not to salvage and reuse the trusses.

- © Fairfax NZ News