Dear Auckland Council,

On 2 June 2020, I sent an official information request to Auckland Transport requesting information on a former rail overbridge in Paerata.

My original OIA request to Auckland Transport on 2 June 2020, and their response on 23 June 2020, and 3 July 2020 is available to view on the following website: https://fyi.org.nz/request/12863-sim-roa...

Auckland Transport was able to answer my questions regarding future development in the region. However, in their response dated 3 July 2020, Auckland Transport refused to answer questions 1, 1(a), and 1(a)(i). They stated, “The bridge was removed by the former Franklin District Council in the mid 2000’s. Auckland Transport holds no information regarding the removal of the bridge.”

The Franklin District Council no longer exists, as it was amalgamated into the new Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. Therefore, I would like to make an official information request to the Auckland Council, regarding the “Sim Road Bridge”.

The bridge in question was part of Sim Road in Paerata. It was the only way to cross the railway line between Paerata and Drury, which are almost 7 km apart. The exact coordinates of the former bridge are 37°09'08.6"S, 174°54'01.4"E or in decimal form: -37.152377, 174.900354. The following weblinks show a map of the location of the former bridge:

1. Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%...
2. Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)’s Topo500 map: https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&...

I have the following questions about this bridge:

1. What was the justification for removing the bridge (the removal of which I believe occurred around 2008-2009)?

1(a) If this was due to a structural issue or another defect in the bridge itself, why was the bridge removed instead of being fixed or replaced?
1(a)(i) If the answer to 1(a) is due to the cost, I would like to know any estimates that exist of what the cost of repairing the old bridge would have been, before the bridge’s removal around 2009.

1(b) If Auckland Council is also unable to answer Question 1 or 1(a), I would like to know–
1(b)(i) whether Auckland Council is aware of any other government agency(ies) that may hold information on the Sim Road Bridge; and
1(b)(ii) the names of these agencies; and
1(b)(ii) any information or correspondence that Auckland Council has had with the foregoing government agencies regarding the Sim Road Bridge.

I have not included questions 2 through to 4, because Auckland Transport was able to satisfactorily answer those.

I look forward to your response.

Best regards,
Kyle H.

Dear Auckland Council,

On 4 July 2020, I sent an OIA request regarding the 'Sim Road Bridge'. Under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) 1987, Auckland Council is obligated to respond to OIA requests within 20 business days.

In addition, I received an email from Auckland Council on 8 July 2020, wherein Auckland Council stated that "We will respond to your request by 4 August 2020."

It is now 7 August 2020, and I have still not heard back. I would appreciate an update regarding the status of my OIA request, considering that it is now one week delayed.

Warm regards,
Kyle H.