Whanganui infrastructure: Council water projects on schedule but delays for roading

Council infrastructure manager Mark Hughes said the Fitzherbert Ave extension has evolved from a roading project into a growth project. Photo / Bevan Conley

Difficulty sourcing materials has delayed the completion of work on Whanganui's Fitzherbert Ave extension.

Whanganui roading and water infrastructure workers have been extra busy during the past three months as a number of major works are completed or near completion.

However, Whanganui District Council's infrastructure general manager Mark Hughes told the infrastructure, climate change and emergency management committee's recent meeting the timeline for the Fitzherbert Ave extension to be finished had been pushed out to somewhere between late September and mid-October.

Hughes said the installation of the new water main from Mill Rd, along Mosston Rd to Fitzherbert Ave and Clarkson Ave had been completed as part of the Fitzherbert Ave growth project.

"The original scope of the project was just to do the roading," Hughes said.

"When we started it became very apparent that there were going to be some large-scale developments projects on either side."

Hughes said the scope of the project was extended to make sure there would be adequate services for the developments and requests for consents had been "flooding in".

"Alongside us, other providers of gas and electricity have been working with us to future-proof the area," he said.

"There have been a few delays due to weather and the biggest delays have been due to unavailability of materials."

Pre-cast concrete culverts had been especially hard to obtain and Hughes said there was only about a quarter of the numbers needed and waiting lists with suppliers.

"We're hoping to get those within about six weeks or so."

For developments, Hughes said in 2020 there were 104 applications leading to the creation of 305 lots. Although there had been only 63 applications in 2021, 269 lots were created.

Hughes reported the completion of five accelerated water supply projects and two other water projects are scheduled to begin this month.

He said 2063 metres of new water mains had been installed in Ngatarua Rd, Sedgebrook St, Parkes Ave, Lincoln Rd and Mosston Rd. The projects were funded from the Three Waters stimulus funding provided by the Government last year.

Two other water projects will begin this month in the Fordell and Cobham Bridge areas.

The other project undertaken as part of the funding is the installation of scum baffles at the wastewater treatment plant which is expected to be completed by mid-September.

Driver behaviour at the Te Tuaiwi shared pathway crossing in Glasgow St has drawn many complaints to the council and police. Photo / Mike Tweed

Hughes told the committee there had been complaints about the Glasgow St traffic lights situated at the Te Tuaiwi shared pathway crossing where drivers had been running red lights, putting pedestrians and cyclists at risk.

He said the site was fully compliant and had been peer-reviewed and safety audited to enable better enforcement by police with the possibility of camera placement.

Data had demonstrated that 0.2 per cent of drivers using the intersection were "recidivist red light runners" and the average was reflective of most signalled intersections in Whanganui which was below the national average.

Hughes expressed concern that the New Zealand transport agency Waka Kotahi had not advised on the roading budget for the year.

Waka Kotahi announced in June local authorities would receive less road funding than they had applied for in their three-year budgets, although most would still receive more than they had in the previous funding round.

"We are carrying on with our maintenance schedule until we know more," Hughes said.

Councillor Helen Craig asked Hughes if there had been any indication from the transport agency about what the level of funding might be.

"We have an indicative understanding of a 10 to 11 per cent reduction," Hughes said.

"What I understand is that the Waka Kotahi board is going through a moderation process to decide what those final budgets would be."

Craig asked that councillors be given a list of projects which might be affected by a funding shortfall but Hughes said until Waka Kotahi indicted where budget cuts would be required he could not supply a list.

"Then we'll know if it's sealing, maintenance, drainage or whatever," Hughes said.

"Projects are on top of repairs and maintenance - they're a totally separate budget and we haven't had an indication from Waka Kotahi of where that's going to go."

Hughes said the transport agency withdrew funding in the final year of the previous three-year budget as there were other priorities for the fund.

"Even if we get approval for the projects we have applied for, there may not be any guarantee that funding will continue for the whole three years," he said.

"We should have a better handle on it towards the end of this calendar year."

A plan to add clip-ons to the Aramoho rail bridge may be deferred for a second time due to a funding shortfall. Photo / Bevan Conley

Hughes said the projects that didn't go ahead last time were the Heads Rd roundabout, Wakefield St overbridge and clips-ons for the Aramoho rail bridge.

"We have applied for funding for those projects in this round."

Hughes said the effects of climate change and forestry activity, coupled with no increase in Waka Kotahi funding over the past nine years, had seen the deferment of some work.

He said about $4 million was needed to fund all the infrastructure work on the schedule.