We are undertaking a project that covers two culverts at either end of Pāuatahanui village, which connect two streams under the road to the Pāuatahanui Inlet.
Culvert A is located at the southern end of the village, and culvert B at the northern end.
Updates
The detailed design for culvert A has been completed, with the next stage to be completed being the full construction drawings, which is due in May.
The detailed design and engineer's cost estimate for culvert B is in progress, and we expect to receive this by end of April.
A bespoke headwall is required at culvert B to direct water along the natural stream alignment. The work for this is being progressed in parallel with the detailed design.
We've had a minor delay to the programme due to the design requiring a structural design for a concrete footpath that will go across culvert A. We are also in the process of confirming the additional geotechnical information required to design the support structure for the concrete footpath. For safety reasons, we've chosen this option rather than redirecting the existing footpath closer to the road. We are expecting this design mid-May.
We've received:
We've started:
A culvert is typically a structure that facilitates water flow under some form of obstruction to keep a stream connected. Here, the culverts connect two streams to the Pāuatahanui inlet under Paekākāriki Hill Road.
We became aware of structural concerns to these culverts within the road lanes in late 2022. Subsequent inspections by structural engineers identified there was no immediate safety issues with the road across either culvert. But, they recommended work be carried out to the culverts within three years.
We want to strengthen the resilience of the road and ensure the streams continue to feed into Pāuatahanui Inlet, which is the largest relatively unmodified estuarine in the southern North Island.
One of our key community outcomes and a strategic priority is having a healthy harbour and catchment.
We’re aiming to carry out the physical work for one culvert this financial year, and the remaining culvert in the next. The order is yet to be confirmed. This is to minimise disruption to residents and the wider community.
We awarded the contract for the investigation and design for the two culverts to our preferred contractor in December 2024.
Over the course of the project these deliverables may change.
Once the work to culvert A has been completed, we should be able to remove the orange “hit sticks” and the speed humps. These are in place to ensure there isn’t any further exacerbation to this culvert.
