Council to speed up slip and dropout repairs with $29 million of NZTA funding

Gisborne District Council has $29 million of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi funding to accelerate its slip and dropout repair programme.

Gisborne District Council will accelerate slip and dropout repairs utilising $29 million of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi funding and a recently appointed contracting panel.

The council has been working with NZTA to fix more than 400 slips and dropouts after Cyclone Gabrielle and subsequent weather events.

GDC director of community lifelines Tim Barry said the NZTA funding was for 229 approved slip and dropout sites.

“We are incredibly grateful to receive this funding. It will enable us to continue our efforts and make substantial progress in restoring the region’s roads.”

The approved slips are considered “less complex” to fix.

More difficult repair jobs will need more time, design and funding over a multi-year programme.

A further 91 sites are pending review and are estimated to require more than $10m funding.

“To date, 59 slips and dropouts have been repaired, thanks to earlier funding from NZTA. There is additional funding support from Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) for sites that don’t initially qualify.

“We estimate that the total cost of the slip and dropout programme will be around $60m over three years.

“This is a big programme of work and we need a large, co-ordinated team to help us deliver it.”

In late August, the council invited tenders for contractors to become part of a panel.

Ten local contractors have been appointed to the panel to deliver the non-complex repair work.

“Now we want to start this work as quickly as possible.

“Selected contractors require establishment time, so in the interim we’re starting work this Thursday with an early award of $2m for regional work through our road maintenance contracts.”

Once the wider programme is under way, the council will publish more details on the location and timing of repairs.

Barry said the next tender would be out shortly for $27m for iwi-prioritised drainage and culvert upgrades.

This work is funded from CIP, with the first tranche of work valued at about $4m.

Local contractors who were unsuccessful in their bid for the slips and dropout repairs have the opportunity to tender for this programme of work.