Plans for a traffic overbridge near the Basin Reserve in Wellington are gaining ground.
The road around the cricket ground is effectively a large roundabout which clogs the state highway system.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has decided to proceed with a bridge option at the Basin Reserve as part of its plan for improvements to State Highway 1.
Construction is expected to begin in mid-to-late 2014, and will be finished in 2016.
NZTA Wellington state highways manager Rod James said a tunnel was impractical because the area was a former lagoon.
"We need to untangle the mess around the basin, and doing nothing is not an option," he said.
The chosen "Option A" bridge passes 20 metres north of the Basin Reserve's northern entrance.
"Public feedback showed a clear preference for a pedestrian and cycleway to be attached to the bridge, so we've listened to this feedback and built it into our plans," Mr James said.
NZN