Traffic delays likely as water upgrade starts

Te Awamutu residents will soon have access to improved water services with one of Waipa¯ District Council’s major captial projects under way.

Vehicles travelling between Cambridge and Te Awamutu may encounter traffic delays from Tuesday, October 1 as work continues on a major upgrade of Waipa¯’s water infrastructure.

In the 2018/2028 10-Year Plan, Waipa¯ District Council budgeted for major investments into core water infrastructure, including connecting the Te Awamutu and Pukerimu water schemes. The work will resolve issues of limited water supply in Te Awamutu and make water services across the whole district far more resilient.

As part of that work, a bulk water main will be installed along Cambridge Road, between Kaipaki and Parallel Roads, from the start of next month and is expected to take 18 weeks. Works will not take place during the Christmas/New Year period (December 21 to January 7).

Programme manager Marie McIntyre said the bulk water main had already been installed along the Parallel Road section and work is continuing along Kaipaki Road.

“Works along the Cambridge Road section will create a greater level of traffic disruption, including a short-term detour for vehicles travelling from Cambridge,” she said.

Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm, drivers from Cambridge to Te Awamutu will be detoured along Lamb St, Roto O Rangi and McLarnon Roads, adding another 5-10 minutes to the trip. From 6pm to 7am weekdays and on weekends, Cambridge Road will return as normal but will have traffic lights operating in some sections, so drivers should expect delays.

Motorists travelling to Cambridge from Te Awamutu will continue unaffected along Cambridge Road during the day. Residents on Cambridge Road, bus services and emergency services have all been informed of the work , which is being undertaken on behalf of Council by Fibre Networks NZ.

“We appreciate this is inconvenient for drivers, especially those travelling from Cambridge, and we will do what we can to minimise disruption,” said Marie.

“The bulk water main installation is an essential project that will have benefits for the wider district.”

■ Stay updated at waipadc. govt.nz/ teawamutuwatersupply