This part of the project will be undertaken by Horizons Regional Council under the governance of Te Pūwaha and hapū grouping, Te Mata Pūau, in line with the Te Awa Tupua status and in consultation with the community generally.
Te Pūwaha chairman Gerrard Albert said the mouth of the river had been significantly modified over the last century and a half.
"The North Mole has fallen into a severe state of disrepair and addressing that provides an opportunity to enhance outcomes for the natural environment as well as provide a safer recreational asset."
Horizons river management group manager Ramon Strong said they had received queries around traffic management for trucks that would pass through the area once construction started.
"At this stage we are expecting around eight trucks delivering shell rock to create the rock stockpiling site each day for a period of two to three weeks. That said, we will continually review traffic movements throughout the project to ensure all efforts to mitigate noise and dust are taken," he said.
On Monday, Te Pūwaha and Te Mata Pūau met with community leaders to begin discussions on the construction of the North Mole and any potential impacts on community.
Te Pūwaha governance group member and Whanganui community representative Jock Lee said it was a positive meeting and he was confident all steps were taken to reduce the impact of dust and noise for neighbouring properties.
Once the work is completed, Horizons contractors will remove the hardstand and return the area to its natural state.
A series of hui and public engagement meetings will be held over the coming months.
These meetings will concentrate on the Awa Training Structures and provide opportunities for the community to feed into a co-design process for the urban design elements for the North and South Moles.
To register interest for the hui and keep up to date with the project visit www.whanganui.govt.nz/port
