Latest news with #Allingham
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Whanganui's Aramoho pedestrian bridge avoids closure as funding sought for replacement
Previously, the bridge was inspected monthly, he said. The Chronicle reported last April that tenders for a new bridge were far above the $2 million budget, meaning the project was not eligible for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi's (NZTA) low-cost, low-risk (LCLR) funding. A report from Allingham in November 2024 said the cost had risen to $4.5m. He told the Chronicle this week the council was still working to secure funding from NZTA, through a present value end of life (PVEoL) application. The cost of the project had been cut back 'to the bones', with an estimated cost of $3m. 'Basically, by removing all peripheral works and getting it down to just the bridge, we'll have a better shot at funding,' Allingham said. 'We need to be ready to act as soon as we're allowed to.' He said if funding was not secured before or as part of NZTA's National Land Transport Programme for 2027-2030, 'tough decisions' would have to be made, including possible closure or the council paying for the whole project itself. He said the PVEoL process was more complicated than applying for LCLR cash. 'You're looking at the whole history of the bridge, what the cost of maintenance has been, what the cost of the new bridge is and what the savings are against the cost of the maintenance.' The bridge had barriers to stop motorbikes from travelling across, but he was looking at getting them removed, he said. 'They obstruct mobility scooters and I'd like it to be used by as many people as possible. 'We want to do our best for everybody and it has to be everybody. Ensuring the disabled community has access to our bridges and footpaths is as much a priority as tanker trucks, forestry and everybody else. 'Fingers crossed, people won't run motorbikes over it. If they do, we can put a camera there and identify them.' The main railway bridge, owned by KiwiRail, was built in the 1870s, with the clip-on pedestrian section added in 1961. In 2023, the Chronicle reported the bridge had an estimated 126,600 users a year. Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
BBC News
08-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Blackburn Rovers: Mum creates newspaper for football-obsessed son
The mum of a young Blackburn Rovers fan has revealed the great lengths she goes to in order to make sure her son stays up-to-date with the latest club Allingham creates a Rovers newspaper for her nine-year-old, so he can read all about transfer news, football results and the updated league table when he wakes up in the morning."On transfer day I stayed up late so it was one o'clock in the morning when I was printing all of the updates," she said."It's a fabulous club for kids, they're absolutely brilliant with them." Ms Allingham, who used to live in Blackburn, but now lives in the north east, said she still goes to matches at Ewood Park "to cheer the boys on".She said her son had "chosen to follow Blackburn and he absolutely loves Rovers"."The players are really engaging with the kids, they're so accessible to them and it's just a joy to share with him, the real love he has for the club," she has to go to be before the matches finish during the week but he sometimes gets to stay up before half time."He can quite often go to bed when it's nil-nil or we're lagging behind," she said. "And he's always keen to know exactly what's happened first thing in the morning."So we print it out and he can study everything the next day, have a look at the league table, do a bit of maths over his Cheerios."Ms Allingham said her son was "pretty confident we are going to make the play-offs"."I do try and coach him anything can happen in football," she said, "so let's just wait and see." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
