Mr Wiggill said the council and contractor had been liaising with nearby residents and other frequent users of the area including the Tauranga Rowing Club and Memorial Park Pools.
Display boards have been in place at the site since the middle of March for people walking around Jordan Field and updates will be provided throughout the project.
Construction of the pipeline began in 2009 and is already operational from Greerton to the park.
A work site has also been set up at the end of Matapihi Rd with drilling expected to start from the end of Matapihi Rd - from dry land 30m from the shoreline to resurface at Memorial Park.
The 1600m steel casing and polyethylene wastewater pipeline used in the Harbour Crossing section will be delivered to Memorial Park in small sections and welded into strings about 450m long on site. They will then be winched through the drill hole and the long strings will be welded together at the same time that they are winched through.
Work began at the end of Matapihi Road in late March, and will be completed by December. As part of this work, the end of Matapihi Rd has been closed off to cars, with a new carpark and turning bay constructed about 200m up the road.
Pedestrians and cyclists still have access to the rail bridge and residents living beyond the road closure can still access their home in their vehicles.
The next nine months at Memorial Park
Phase 1: Set up (February - April)
The work site has been cleared and a new base laid for the arrival of heavy machinery. The pipes will be delivered, and welded together on site.
Phase 2: Drilling (May - July)
Before the drilling starts, long steel pipes will be pushed into the soil below the harbour bed. These are outer steel sleeves that will protect the harbour when drilling starts through them. The hole will be drilled about 30m deep underneath the harbour bed from Matapihi to Memorial Park. The sand removed from the harbour will be placed behind a low retaining wall at Matapihi, reclaiming a 5m section of land and protecting it from erosion.
Phase 3: Installation (May - July)
Once the drilling is complete, a steel casing pipe will be winched through from Memorial Park. It is essential that this phase of work continues 24/7 to keep the momentum of the pipe moving. Once the steel casing pipe is installed, the plastic wastewater pipe will be pushed through inside. The steel casing will provide a protective layer between the wastewater pipe and the soils deep under the harbour.
Phase 4: Connection (July- December)
The final section of pipe will be installed through Memorial Park, connecting the harbour crossing to the Memorial Park Pump Station. The site will be cleared and grass will be relaid to return the park to its original condition. The driveway to Memorial Pool will re-open and the temporary access way around the Tauranga Rowing Club will be removed. The pipeline will be completed and operational by December.
