Night work through central Dunedin’s State Highway 1 begins

NZ Transport Agency and Dunedin City Council joint media release

Dunedin (Friday, 29 January 2016) – From this Sunday, 31 January, manhole or service covers running southbound along State Highway 1 from Duke St, North Dunedin, to Andersons Bay will be lifted and re-levelled.

The operation will be ongoing in 2016, from Sunday night to Friday morning each week, 7pm to 6am the next day.

Drivers will notice that one traffic lane will be taken out of use while this work is underway and they are asked to slow down around work sites for everyone’s safety. An electronic message board is already in place near the Botanic Gardens, warning drivers of the change coming.

It is important to note that this work will be undertaken in sections so as that only a small length of road – a maximum of one block – will be disrupted at any one time.

The project is a joint venture costing around $400,000 between the Transport Agency and the Dunedin City Council. It aims to reduce the need for ongoing maintenance of the road around these service covers and also to reduce noise and vibration.

DCC Network Contracts Manager William Clifford says, "Over time, the manhole covers, which provide access to a network of DCC's underground service pipes, sink within the road surface creating a bump for drivers going over them. In turn this creates an unwelcome vibration to surrounding homes and businesses. Drivers also sometimes swerve to avoid the bump, which is also not a good idea from a safety viewpoint."

NZ Transport Agency Southern Business Unit Manager, Dunedin Ian Duncan says, "The aim of the project is to fix the existing service covers so that these unwelcome and unsafe side effects are reduced. The manholes and fire hydrants will be exposed and the frames repacked so they are at the right height before the area is re-sealed.

During the day, there may still be traffic management in place around these sites as the packing material is allowed to set into place. Crews will be talking to any business or home owners where access to their properties is affected at night to minimise inconvenience.

"We anticipate there will be minimal disruptions during the work and the outcome for residents and business owners will be a reduction in noise and vibrations caused by vehicles driving over the covers," Mr Clifford says.

The work has been split into segments, starting near the Botanic Gardens, on Cumberland St.

Lifting and re-levelling of manhole or service covers on the northbound section of SH1 from Duke Street to Andersons Bay is also planned for a later stage.

ENDS

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