Project likely to be pushed out to 2021
Call it Murphy’s Law. Certainly bitter irony.
The previous month had been the fifth sunniest on record for Wellingtonians, and we were forced to watch it unfold from the safety of our living rooms.
Then, the first weekend back after the shift from alert level four to three brings gales and torrential rain. Not only that but flooding and at least one flying roof.
The latter was the scene yesterday for Crofton Down’s Linda Glogau.
Her roof blew off with a ‘‘really big gust’’ of wind about 12.15pm.
It struck her neighbour’s house, and last night, Glogau said somebody was working to secure and tie it down.
Fire and Emergency New
Zealand was originally called to the scene, on Spencer St, as the roof had also partially blown onto power lines, Glogau said.
Her electricity had to be temporarily turned off yesterday because of it, and Wellington City Council staffers also attended as a precaution.
Roofers would return to Glogau’s property today to place a tarpaulin over her house. Thankfully, she said, there was no ‘‘gaping big hole’’.
There were, however, several smaller holes, which had resulted in buckets being set up ‘‘everywhere’’ inside to stop leaks.
About 5.30pm yesterday, MetService said that rain and heavy falls for the Wellington region were expected to ease overnight.
Strong northerlies gusting up to 110 kilometres an hour were recorded yesterday in Wellington.
MetService forecasted occasional showers, with a chance of heavy rain from the afternoon today in Wellington, along with more northerly winds.
A Wellington City Council spokeswoman said since 5pm, there had been reports of flooding across the city including in Island Bay on The Esplanade, Wye St, Reef St and The Parade.
There were also reports of flooding in Moxham Ave in Kilbirnie, Adelaide Rd in Berhampore, Plymouth St in Karori, and Park Rd and Hobart St in Miramar. Sumps were reportedly blocked in Tawa, Seatoun, Mt Victoria, n Karori, Island Bay and Thorndon.
Dancing manhole covers had been reported in Queens Dr in Lyall Bay; Avon St in Island Bay and Glasgow St in Kelburn.
For all the reports, contractors had either fixed them, were on site, or on their way to the scene, the spokeswoman said last night.
You can forget November. And there will be no Christmas present for frustrated Wellington region motorists either. Transmission Gully won’t be open in 2020.
Delivery of the $1 billion highway will likely be extended to 2021, the New Zealand Transport Agency has confirmed.
The project has been flattened by Covid-19 and steamrolled by the Government’s alert level restrictions. Now it also faces the challenges of winter.
But it’s unclear whether the likely delay will mean the publicprivate consortium tasked with building it will be fined thousands of dollars every day it misses its original deadline.
The latest assigned Transmission Gully delivery date was November 1, with NZTA previously warning of a $16,000 fine for each day it was late.
If the road wasn’t December 18, it was to be slapped with a
$10 million penalty.
‘‘As [NZTA] is currently involved in negotiations with the JV
[joint venture], we’re not in a position to provide further comment at this time,’’ a spokeswoman said yesterday, when asked about whether the fines would still occur.
Andrew Thackwray, NZTA senior manager in project delivery, said it was clear the level four lockdown and level three restrictions ‘‘will have an impact on the completion date, which will likely extend into 2021’’.
‘‘As the project is a publicprivate partnership with different commercial terms, Waka Kotahi [NZTA] is negotiating with the builder, CPB/HEB Joint Venture, to confirm and agree a new completion date.’’
Work resumed on Wednesday at a number of sites along the 27km route, Thackwray said. New work sites were being progressively started.
Work was under way to develop a new delivery plan as quickly as possible, using local resources, Thackwray said.
News of the likely delay comes after Nick Leggett, chief executive of the forum which represented several regional trucking associations, said there were suggestions the budget had been cut and the timeline extended for two years.
‘‘In the final straight of construction of such a large project, which was due to be completed by the end of this year, it is a worry to hear that contracts for supply and equipment have been cut, and workforce numbers reduced.’’
National’s Transport spokesman Chris Bishop echoed Leggett’s concerns, saying the Government’s rhetoric wasn’t matching what’s happening on the ground and called for urgent clarification. open by