Work resumes on Whanganui riverbank repairs after consent granted

Work has resumed on the Anzac Pde riverbank near the Whanganui City Bridge. Photo / Bevan Conley

Contractors are back in action for the final push on the Anzac Pde slip area after work stalled several weeks ago.

At the time, Horizons Regional Council said it was waiting for information from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to enable the resource consent for the work to be completed, while NZTA said it was waiting for documentation from Horizons.

Horizons' strategy and regulation group manager Dr Nic Peet said a consent has now been granted as NZTA provided the required information.

With the paperwork now complete, NZTA system manager Mark Owen said he was confident the work would be wrapped up quickly, with the repairs 80 per cent complete and expected to be finished by late October.

"The work we are doing now means a much more resilient riverbank along Anzac Pde and that the riverbank will be better able to withstand future flooding," Owen said.

"We know that this has been a long process, so we thank the community for their patience."

As a result of the 2015 floods in the Whanganui area, part of the riverbank near the Whanganui City Bridge dropped away, affecting the adjoining cycleway, footpath and road.

In late 2017 contractors began repairs which included restoring two lanes and a cycleway on Anzac Pde, which is part of State Highway 4. Originally the work was scheduled to be completed in June this year.

All work on the remaining SH4 and SH54 sites is expected to be completed by mid-2020, Owen said.

NZTA has repaired more than 30 sites with eight substantial repairs, including Anzac Pde, remaining.