Two-way option chosen for transformation of Bridge Street

A new street layout as part of the upgrade of Bridge Street has been approved at a full meeting of Council on Thursday, 11 April, allowing the project to progress to the developed design stage.

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith called the decision for a two-way layout in the Bridge to Better project an important milestone in progressing the design. 

“Bridge Street businesses and property owners will be key drivers for a successful revitalisation. So, it's fitting the decision reflects the engagement with Bridge Street businesses, who favoured two way and it enables our planning and engineering professionals to develop the detailed infrastructure upgrade and street layout. We will now engage with the wider community to feed into the developed design stage. 

“It is important we progress this project as quickly as possible. The City Revitalisation Summit reinforced the need for investment. Construction costs are increasing, the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund contribution is fixed so any cost overruns will fall on Council.” 

The street layout options were informed by an extensive six-month engagement campaign with key stakeholders including iwi, Bridge Street businesses and community groups. This resulted in elected members being presented with two options for Bridge Street involving either a one-way or two-way street. 

Both options increased the number of people-friendly spaces by reducing the width of the carriageway, increasing the amount of green space, and removing the kerb to create a flush surface that will be ideal for public events such as festivals, markets, and parades. 

Group Manager Infrastructure Alec Louverdis says the confirmed direction for the Bridge to Better project means work on the design development, which will be informed by engagement with the community, can now move forward.   

“This project creates exciting opportunities to make Bridge Street, even on an ordinary day, a far more pleasant place to spend time. We all know how good Nelson is when we come together for events like New Year’s Eve and Light Nelson and when you look at the flexibility around space that the new layout allows, the opportunity for bigger and better events is clear.” 

During the engagement period Bridge Street businesses were asked to fill out a survey outlining their values, priorities, and preference for one-way vs two-way street layout. Over half of the businesses on Bridge Street (52) filled in the survey. 

“The survey results were very interesting. When asked what businesses required to succeed, the two things that most people agreed on were vibrant hospitality (90.4% of respondents) and a safe, clean environment (86.5% of respondents). We received a variety of views on parking, and while it remained a key priority for around 60% of respondents, it was clear that businesses on the street have a holistic view of what is needed to revitalise our city centre,” says Alec. 

“Both options presented to Councillors involved a reduction of parking on Bridge Street between 50% and 60%. Engagement showed support for this when combined with plans to mitigate parking loss such as shifting to higher turnover time limit (eg. P60) and creating offset parking elsewhere.” 

 
The options: 

Two-Way Street Layout 

A two-way street where traffic and cyclists would share the same traffic lane that would be narrower than the existing lanes with cycle markings that communicate the sharing situation. 

This option has wider footpaths than the existing layout that allow more space for outdoor dining and seating areas.Space could still be provided for greenery, cycle parking and pedestrian activation as with the one-way option, but this would be 1.2m less in the two-way option. 

 One-Way Street Layout 

A one-way street for traffic and cyclists sharing the east bound traffic lane, with west bound cyclists having their own space known as a ‘contraflow’ cycle lane. 

This option has wider footpaths than the existing layout that allow more space for outdoor dining and seating areas. 

Space would be provided for greenery, cycle parking and for pedestrians, making the street more vibrant by encouraging people to spend more time on Bridge Street and in the city centre. Overall, there is more space (an extra 1.2m) for these uses than a two-way street. 

 
The two-way option was chosen by Councillors for a variety of reasons including: 
It was the preference of businesses on Bridge Street (58% two-way vs 42% one-way).

It leaves open the possibility of moving to a one-way street if Hardy Street goes one-way at a later date.

This option allows for greater flexibility for future development and investment in the central city. 

Councillor Pete Rainey says Bridge to Better is a tremendously exciting project for the city. 

“I think this is just the start of exciting things to come for our city centre and I am really looking forward to seeing what future investment projects surround Bridge to Better. To my mind, a two-way layout in Bridge Street from the outset allows for the flexibility required to enable future plans, whatever they may be.” 

What happens next: 
The Bridge to Better project will now progress its design development, which will allow the team to partner with a main contractor to get early insights in preparation of physical works.   

Alec says engagement with the wider public will also begin, with feedback sought on the street layout that will be heard as part of Long Term Plan deliberations.  

“People will be able to take a look at the street layout and read the feedback provided by key stakeholders before they give us their view. 

“What we want to ask people is whether there’s anything we’ve missed before we get to a stage in the design where it is too late to make changes. This isn’t about the nuts and bolts, nor is it about the premise behind Bridge to Better itself, it’s an opportunity for people to look at the street layout and tell us what they might add or take away.” 

More information about the Bridge to Better project is available at: https://shape.nelson.govt.nz/bridge-better.  

The street layout illustrations and engagement information will be available on this page from Tuesday 16 April, at which point engagement will be open to the public.