The backers of a Dunedin cycle trail 20 years in the making can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Steady progress is being made on the Chain Hills tunnel section of the Dunedin Tunnels Trail project and stage 1 of the project is due to be completed on time in October.

Tunnels Trail Trust chairman Brent Irwing said it was nice to see some earth moving after 20 years of advocating for it.

Stage 1 of the project is being led by the Dunedin City Council and is expected to be completed in October.

The trust was hoping to host an opening day for the Chain Hills tunnel around Labour Day weekend, Mr Irwing said. The tunnel would link Wingatui with the trail going to Abbotsford.

After that, the trust would take the lead on the project under a new memorandum of understanding, Mr Irwing said.

“What that essentially means was that going forward with future stages, the trust was having to raise their own capital and find their own grants.”

Construction of the trail relied on the generosity of about 10 landowners and finding funders, he said.

The trust was looking for community groups to help plant native fauna around the trail.

Tunnels Trail Trust trustee Gerard Hyland said it was awesome to see on-ground progress and see the first stage nearly complete.

“This has been a long long battle and I’m glad we’ve stuck with it because this is going to be a huge asset for the community.”

The project was expected to have a lot of positive outcomes for commuting, recreation and tourism, he said.

Trustee and landowner Clare Noakes’ family has owned the land the Chain Hills tunnel is on for the past 20 years.

She agreed for the tunnel be a part of the trail for a total sum of $10, which went towards the project.

Mrs Noakes said she wanted the tunnel to be open to the public and she had often let public groups walk through it or use it if they had asked.

She was looking forward to the opening day for the tunnel, she said.

Council central city project plan director Glen Hazelton asked that the public stay away from the Chain Hills tunnel for now since it was still a Fulton Hogan work site.

Work would not start on the Caversham Tunnel part of the project right away in October and would be up for discussion for the newly elected council at one of its first meetings, he said.

While there would not be any capital money for the project after stage 1 was complete, the council would still contribute by allowing staff to work on the project.

The work left in stage 1 was under way and scheduled to be completed well within its $1.8million budget for this year, left over from the council’s last nine-year plan.

“We will exhaust that on building of the trail, land acquisition and additional items like lighting in the tunnel,” he said.

 

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