Final Sumner container ships off
"In any post-disaster environment you've got to come out better than what you were when you went in." Lianne Dalziel, Christchurch Mayor
Contractors have removed the last of the shipping containers that lined Christchurch’s quake-hit seaside suburbs.
Containers were placed on several sites after the February 2011 earthquakes to protect road users from rocks falling from the Peacocks Gallop, also known as Shag Rock Reserve, and Deans Head cliffs.
Contractors began removing them last week.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel was present to witness the final container being craned out yesterday.
‘‘It’s a big day,’’ she said.
‘‘Deans Head will be open up for public view. But I think the big thing is the containers are going, and they’ve been a constant reminder of what we’ve been through, so it’s a great Christmas present.’’
The rocks and material that fell during the earthquakes were used to build a large embankment and trench that would prevent further debris falling on the road.
Contractors removed loose rocks from the cliffs and installed stainless steel mesh to the front of some cliff sections to prevent rockfalls.
They moved about 50,000 cubic metres of material that collapsed from the 75-metre cliff face.
The 3m high, 300m long bund cost about $2.5 million. A twometre-high security fence is being installed along the front to keep the public out of the dangerous area.
The council will place plants in designated areas of the bund.
‘‘Building back better has always been one of the important themes,’’ Dalziel said.
‘‘And in any post-disaster environment you’ve got to come out better than what you were when you went in.’’
Land Information New Zealand built the embankment and performed other hazard remediation work on the cliffs on behalf of Christchurch City Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency as part of the SumnerLyttelton corridor re-opening programme.
Work started on the project at the beginning of this year and finished ahead of schedule.