Heritage Walkway surface treatment should resolve slippery surface problems

Work has been undertaken to add a grippier surface to Te Puke's Heritage Walkway

The surface treatment of the Heritage Walkway between Jellicoe St and Commerce Lane has come in for a bit of stick in the past.

Last year Maketū's Carolyn Symmans slipped and fell on the wet walkway surface, breaking her wrist. She hasn't been the only one.

But last week and this, the surface has been given a new treatment that will hopefully mean the slipping is a thing of the past.

The surface has been given the bush hammer treatment, making it more grippy.

After an informal seeking of views on three different treatments earlier this year, Western Bay of Plenty District Council roading engineer (east) Stuart Harvey says, while there wasn't a lot of feedback, the option producing the roughest surface was the preferred one.

In the end, the treatment selected was none of the three options - the bush hammer treatment also having the benefit of being sealed to protect the surface.

''The public wanted a grippier surface while the council needed it to be protected,'' says
Harvey.

Protection will produce a long-lasting finish that will hopefully reduce maintenance.

''I am confident [the new treatment] will allay concerns, but it's very hard to guarantee that nobody will ever fall over again, but it is likely this finished surface will be the best-finished surface in the town, so I'd be very surprised if people were still having the same kinds of issues, even when the surface is wet,'' says Harvey.