Covid blamed after seven-month delay for Ōkere Falls path, total cost unknown

Allan Ramson at Ōkere Falls. Photo / Andrew Warner

Work to build a shared pathway from Mourea to Ōkere Falls has been labelled a "shambles" as the three-month project remains unfinished 10 months later and the cost of the delay remains unknown.

In July 2021, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi announced the pathway for pedestrians and cyclists would be built alongside State Highway 33. It was expected to be completed in September 2021 and cost about $900,000.

Today, the project is incomplete and local residents are questioning what work, if any, is actually happening.

Ōkere Falls resident Allan Ramson said, in his opinion, the project appeared to be a "shambles".

Ramson said, in his view, it was hard to believe there was a plan as it seemed to be driven by new ideas from different people.

He estimated work would be carried out on average one day out of every five.

"I look at it, I don't think it's even halfway through. They haven't even put in the pedestrian islands.

"Someone's paying that money."

Roadworks cones line State Highway 33. Photo / Andrew Warner

Ramson referred to a petition local residents created when the pathway was first proposed, calling for a pedestrian underpass in be installed instead of road-level pedestrian islands.

However, residents were told the underpass option would be too expensive, he said.

Another resident, who would not be named, said she would like to see more action on the pathway, which did not seem to be progressing. She agreed the work appeared to be sporadic.

Asked how much specifically the cost of an underpass would be, Waka Kotahi regional manager of infrastructure delivery for Bay of Plenty and Waikato, Jo Wilton, said that although the cost of an underpass at Ōkere Falls was "beyond the scope of this project", there was no funding available for now "to investigate the cost, design or construction of an underpass".

The agency was also unable to say how much the pathway project would now cost, given the delays, despite providing an original budget when the project was first proposed.

Wilton said this was because the pathway was part of the SH33 Te Ngae Junction to Paengaroa safety improvements which have an overall cost of $34.5 million.

Wilton acknowledged "we have incurred additional costs as a result of Covid, such as the increase in cost of materials". Supply issues, weather and adding extra safety barriers and lighting also created delays, she said.

"This has been a challenging period and we acknowledge the delays and disruptions caused by the works."

The agency could not say how many days' work has been prevented due to Covid-19 because it was part of the wider project, Wilton said.

Rotorua Lakes Council deputy chief executive Infrastructure & Environmental Solutions, Stavros Michael, said the project was "not immune" to the effects of Covid-19 impacting the availability of materials, the health of staff and the project's timeline.

He said the 3km shared path was aimed at providing the same safety and connectivity as the urban shared path network.

"We know that pedestrians, cyclists and people looking to use other modes of transport feel more comfortable when they are separated from traffic, and Council has documented significant uplift in walking and cycling since the network has begun to take shape. It would be great to see an uptake of active transport in rural areas too," Michael said.

Despite the delay, Whangamarino School principal Lorraine Northey said her students were excited and looking forward to the pathway being completed.

Northey said it would mean students would be able to walk from Mourea to school safely, whereas now they were walking at the road's edge, sometimes being picked up by teachers because it was so dangerous.

"We are definitely looking forward to it. It's moving along nicely, we are positive about it. We are thrilled."

Northey said she appreciated there had been a delay and Covid had been a factor. She said there was building work at the school that had also been delayed so "I'm respectful of everything going on with Covid, you have to be realistic".

The pathway was now expected to be completed by the end of this month. The four pedestrian islands will be among the last aspects of the project.

Another $230,000 has been approved to create a 500m extension to the pathway, between Hamurana Rd and the northern side of the Mourea Bridge, over the Ohau Channel.

Work on this piece is expected to get under way in May 2022. By mid-2022 people will be able to safely walk or bike between the Mourea Bridge and Ōkere Falls.