Road work starts Monday

Francis Hicks Avenue and Maraekakaho Road, Hastings. PHOTO / File

The reconstruction of Maraekakaho Rd, between Francis Hicks Avenue and Southampton Street West, will start on Monday.

As part of the same work, road resurfacing will also be carried out between Southampton Street West and Heretaunga St and new cabling will be installed at the traffic lights on the corner of Maraekakaho Rd and Southampton St.

The reconstruction of the road, kerb and channelling, and footpath, "from boundary to boundary", is the largest part of the project and will take about 10 weeks.

Rebuilding a road is a once in 20 to 25 year project. The contractors will dig the road out to a depth of about 450mm, and then rebuild the layers.

First to go down will be sub-base layers, then the base-course and finally the asphalt surface layer.

The old footpath and kerbing will also be removed, and a 'kerb extruder machine' brought in to form new kerbs and channels, and the new concrete footpaths laid.

The weather is crucial, with reasonably dry and warm conditions required.

"That is why we need to do it at this time of year," said Hastings District Council's works and services committee chairman Kevin Watkins.

"It is important that as pieces of infrastructure, like roads, reach the end of their lives, that we replace them in a timely manner."

The cables controlling the lights at that intersection were also reaching the end of their expected life so would be replaced at the same time.

"It's important that when we look at a stretch of road that we consider the age and state all of the infrastructure under and around it so that where at all possible we avoid digging them up again in the near future," Mr Watkins said.

Traffic and pedestrian access along the affected stretch of Maraekakaho Rd and to businesses in the area will be maintained throughout the project.

However those not wanting to get to businesses in the immediate area may want to use an alternative route to avoid the disruption, Mr Watkins said.