More bumps in the road for Timaru's State Highway 1, Waka Kotahi says

Friday, 10 November 2023

The bumps on State Highway 1 through Timaru may get worse before they get better, with more problems admitted by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

The agency confirmed this week there have been issues with recent patch resealing work on the stretch of highway along Evans St, from MacDonald St to Grants Rd, where water pipes are being upgraded under the road surface.

Added to this, a second area causing short-term delays for road users is The Showgrounds/Grants Rd intersection and culvert, where holding repairs are the only option until more permanent repairs can be completed, Waka Kotahi says.

The issues come just weeks after workers came into trouble when attempting to lay asphalt on SH1, between Waimataitai and Hobbs streets in mid-October, “as a result of unexpectedly soft ground conditions’’.

Waka Kotahi senior network manager in Timaru Scott McKenzie said there were pavement and surfacing issues either side of the Grants Rd intersection as the agency indicated holding repairs would be used until the work could be completed.

“Waka Kotahi is keeping in touch with the Timaru District Council as their water pipes are under the surface and are about to be replaced,’’ McKenzie said.

“The council has this work scheduled for this summer.’’

He said the agency planned to work with the council to complete permanent highway surface repairs once the pipe replacement was complete.

“In the meantime, we are nursing these areas along, or keeping them coned off, until we can do a proper, long-lasting repair.’’

A temporary holding repair had already given way due to the ground conditions and had been coned off in the meantime, he said.

Meanwhile, further north along the highway, at the intersection with The Showgrounds, Waka Kotahi was working through the design with the developer to progress the intersection’s final design solution and to ensure that consent conditions were being managed.

As part of work on The Showgrounds site, developer Redwood Group was required to replace an existing culvert that runs under SH1/Evans St, an area recognised by the council’s stormwater management plan as “arguably the highest flood risk area’’ in the town.

The Taitarakihi Creek box culvert work formed part of the permanent intersection works at The Showgrounds, and was required as part of the developers’ resource consent, which was meant to be completed by March 2024.

But the developer Tony Gapes told The Timaru Herald in September, they were “not required to do any further works to the highway until we build stage two”, aside from any repair work that could be necessary’’.

An email from the agency to stakeholders that month said: “It has now commenced the process of breaking the legal contract agreement between ourselves and Redwood Group in regards to the SH1 culvert renewal.”

This week, McKenzie said: “Again, as at MacDonald St to Grants Rd, until more permanent repairs to the road surface can be done, holding repairs are the only option.”

“It needs to be acknowledged that these will only have a short life to maintain the surface in the meantime, to keep the road open and safe to travel in either direction,’’ he said.

“Once the permanent intersection, culvert infrastructure replacement and pavement renewal works are undertaken, permanent road repairs will be possible.’’

In regard to the section of highway between Waimataitai and Hobbs streets, McKenzie said other solutions were being explored and further investigation of the sub-surface is being investigated.

“A lasting solution is currently being finalised, aiming to reopen the work site to the asphalting crew in the next few weeks.’’

He said it was a “particularly’’ challenging and unusual situation and Waka Kotahi had been keeping residents who lived near the site informed.

“We understand that it is very frustrating for the work to be delayed in this way.

“Waka Kotahi intends to ensure a quality, long-lasting, finished pavement product.’’

McKenzie said Waka Kotahi appreciated residents, road users and the community’s patience “while these matters are dealt with and addressed’’.

The summer maintenance work by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been a long-awaited project in Timaru with councillors drilling the agency’s director regional relationships, James Caygill, in a meeting in July over a range of roading issues in the district.

Those frustrations included congestion at the intersection outside The Showgrounds complex, and the “absolutely knackered’’ state of some of the district’s roads.

Traffic congestion along the highway has been a bone of contention since traffic lights were turned on at The Showgrounds entrance ahead of the first store opening on March 9.

Truck drivers had complained of delays of up to 30 minutes getting from Washdyke to Timaru at peak times, while others said traffic had been backed up as far north as SH8 – which was 2.4km from the intersection.

The Timaru District Council has been approached for comment.