Southern flood repair work still going on | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

South Wairarapa contractors are still flat out repairing damage caused by devastating floods in February and a "double whammy" in August.

Oldfields Asphalts, who won back South Wairarapa District Council's roading contracts earlier this year, has been throwing in all available resources to complete the clean-up and the council has also called on Fulton Hogan to help out with some of the work.

In a works and services report prepared by council engineers this month details of work done was itemised. Culverts have been cleaned or replaced, slips across roads removed and drop-outs filled and washed-out pavements repaired.

During this time maintenance

grading and metalling has had to

continue and sub-contractors have been employed to clean water tables and cut berms.

Some road repairs at Hinakura and White Rock have been put on hold, waiting for supporting hillsides to dry out.

It is expected White Rock Road repairs will extend to beyond Christmas.

The wild weather wreaked havoc with the Cape Palliser Road, which has had to be repaired three times this year, and the latest repaired sections have yet to be resealed.

Major work on the Haurangi Road that included bridge abutment repairs, new culverts, road widening and the building of retaining walls has been finished.

Also finished is a new kerb and channel in Massey Street, in Greytown, that has cured long-standing flood problems.

Council engineers have told councillors they were reluctant to call on Fulton Hogan for help, because of the higher costs of achieving the repairs but the resources of Oldfield Asphalts were insufficient "to meet all our needs as quickly as we would like".

"As a consequence some maintenance activities will be delayed, and public complaints more frequent."

Also included in the report is a rundown on the maintenance of parks and reserves and associated services by contractors Transfield Services.

The engineers said that while most work had been done satisfactorily there had been times when specified standards had not been met.

This had included unfinished mowing of berms, poor pavement re-instatement after repairs, toilets not being cleaned properly and missed rubbish collection bags.

Transfield Services had acted promptly to improve their performance when told of these instances.