Work on sewer will disrupt traffic

Traffic flows through one of Timaru's main arterial routes to the city centre will be disrupted for the next three months to allow for the replacement of an ageing sewer line.

Access to Wai-iti Rd, between St John's Avenue and Guinness St to the west, will be disrupted as the council replaces a 102-year-old sewer pipe that has now reached the end of its life. Because the sewer main runs mostly down the centre of Wai-iti Rd, traffic flows will be changed with a series of single-lane zones and detours.

The affected section of Wai-iti Rd carries an average of 12,000 vehicles a day.

Timaru District Council drainage and water manager Grant Hall said the work was necessary as the old sewer main was largely made of vitrified clay and, "now 100 years on, the pipe had reached the end its useful life". He said the line had served the area well but, with the gradual breakdown of the pipe, it now a risked major failure.

Mr Hall said motorists would be notified of the road changes but asked that they avoid using the area if possible.

Modern engineering methods would lessen the impact on the area. Residents would be notified of any disruptions.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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