Fast-sinking street worries residents
Stacey Maher can’t believe her eyes – her street is sinking in front of her.
‘‘It’s just insane how much the whole road has dropped in a couple of places. It feels like driving over waves, it’s terrible.
‘‘I have a toddler, and I’m worried that the road is going to go and that we are going to get stuck,’’ she said.
In just two days last week, the northern end of Albatross Cl, in the Porirua suburb of Whitby, sank ‘‘a few feet in some areas’’.
Residents at No 6 were so badly affected that they couldn’t use their driveway.
Maher has lived in the street for three years and said the state of the street had been a big problem for about a year and a half.
‘‘[The road has moved] a few feet in some areas, about a foot or two in other areas. There is good two-inch crack in one of the driveways.’’
Porirua City Council said it did not know what had happened, or what was causing it, but confirmed the latest slump was not the first.
Chief operating officer Tamsin Evans said the road had dropped to varying degrees across the street.
But topographical surveys had shown minimal movement. ‘‘We are unsure of the exact mechanism and cause of the road movement that has occurred in the last few days – this is a new pattern.
‘‘The council has been surveying the area for several months and, up until now, the movement had been minimal.
‘‘The council has also been working with geotechnical advisors and their roading contractor to manage the mitigation measures which had been working up until the recent movement of the past [few] days.’’
When the road moved on November 5 last year, contractors treated it with subsoil drains and monitoring of ground-level movement. However, the council was informed of further deterioration the following month.
Then the road sank further on August 17-18, cracking the driveway at No 6.
Resident Margaret King said she was sick of the council’s failing short-term solutions.
‘‘Where are our rates going if they can’t fix a road, or at least identify what’s causing the problems?
‘‘I just keep thinking about sinkholes, it’s pretty bloody scary.’’
On Wednesday, council city and community infrastructure executive officer Ashley Gore sent residents a letter explaining what steps were being taken. He said a number of sites had been affected in the Porirua area since the November earthquake in Kaikoura and subsequent flooding.
‘‘There was further movement in the road carriageway in Albatross Cl after significant rain over the weekend.’’
Evans said the council was monitoring the streets’ movements daily. ‘‘We have installed traffic calming to make the road one lane, and speed signage to reduce the speed of passing vehicles.’’
A topographical survey had been brought forward, and underground water pipes were being checked for damage. Any cracks in the road surface would be sealed where possible.