Somme Parade Whanganui detour being removed after broken stormwater main fixed

The initial four months of work was to repair and strengthen the dropout area. Photo / NZME

Somme Parade is reopening after a broken stormwater main led to a detour route being in place following four months of initial work.

Whanganui District Council community, property and places general manager Sarah O’Hagan said stormwater control work had been completed on the site and the detour route was being removed this morning.

Whanganui Alliance crews had been replacing a broken stormwater main at the site of the Somme Parade drop-out for three weeks from July 2.

Investigations showed several pipe sections of the main had separated, resulting in stormwater discharging into the ground.

On the council’s website, an explanation said this work was outside the control of the contractor and was unforeseen when the designs for the drop-out repairs were established.

The work required a deep excavation, which meant a section of Somme Parade was closed to all through-traffic from July 2 until 5pm on July 19.

Initial work on the Somme Parade dropout began in June 2023 with traffic reduced to one lane before the full road closure.

The section of road between Barrack St and Kaikokopu Rd reopened on March 1 after four months of closure while work to repair and strengthen the Whanganui River drop-out was under way.