Residents ‘go with the flow’

“They’re working with us, and they’ve become part of the family,” residents of Springlands in northern Blenheim say about the contractors laying a new sewer line in the suburb.

Rhys and Diane Moses, residents of Fulton St, which is closed to normal traffic, were full of praise for the contractors, whom they said have been friendly and accommodating throughout a “necessary inconvenience”.

“We’re very lucky to have someone looking after our drains,” they said. “It’s a bit tight getting in and out, but we just have to roll with the way things are.”

Contractors are continuing work in Fulton St and this should be completed by the end of February. Work is also under way at the Budge St and McLaughlan St Pump Station sites.

Fulton St resident Selu Reddy agreed with the Moses, saying, “they’re trying to do the best for everybody. Every day is different, so we just go with the flow.”

Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating, she said, but added that it becomes part of the day, and she adjusts her route to the shops as needed.

Major works to upgrade the sewerage network started in late October last year and will continue across multiple sites in stages this year.

According to Marlborough

District Council, it would take 5250 steps to walk the new sewer mains currently being laid in the northern suburbs.

The project involves almost 4km of gravity and pressure sewer mains, and the replacement of three pump stations at

McLauchlan St, Budge St and Bomford St. Bomford St will replace the current Nelson St pump station.

The driveway to Fay Arnold’s home in Fulton St was blocked when we visited, and Arnold was getting ready to go to work.

She had parked down the road, and would have to walk around the roadworks to reach her car, but was not perturbed by this, saying ‘‘it’s a job that needs to be done’’.

‘‘Let’s get our priorities straight,’’ she said. ‘‘Look what’s happening around the world!’’

She added that the sooner the work was completed, the sooner they could get on with their lives.

‘‘We complain when these

Rhys Moses said roadworks are a necessary inconvenience.