Work starts on pipeline upgrade

Work has begun on a major water pipeline upgrade on Pōrangahau Rd in Waipukurau that will increase reliability and future proof the asset.

The project, with completion planned completion in May 2023, includes upgrades to mains as well as new pipes, fire hydrants, isolation valves, and replacements of water connections to private properties. This work will also address the regular main breaks that occur along Pōrangahau Rd.

“The upgrade of significant water infrastructure such as the nearly 100-year-old cast iron, and the problematic asbestos concrete water pipe, provides a strong indication of the pace and momentum we are gaining, addressing some of these long overdue upgrades,” says Doug Tate, chief executive of Central Hawke’s Bay District Council.

“In completing projects such as this, not only are we boosting the durability of our existing infrastructure, but also ensuring it can support the rapid population growth we are seeing throughout Central Hawke’s Bay.”

Fulton Hogan has been contracted to deliver the project and has started investigations of the existing pipelines. Traffic management will be in place for the duration of the project.

Tate says the focus of the council’s current Long-Term Plan is about “facing the facts” about the state of the district’s infrastructure.

“We’ve acknowledged the huge underinvestment in our essential infrastructure and what is required to correct that — now we are putting those commitments into action and getting the work under way,” he says.