Council’s Assets & Services Committee has approved the establishment of a holding account to fund critical storm repairs within the Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study Area (MSFAS).

The school bus carefully navigates the Elephant Point slip on Moetapu Bay Road

Mayor Nadine Taylor said the repairs represented “safety, possible damage to property and cost increase risks” to Council if they were not progressed soon.

“Until the Sounds Future Access Study is complete, and funding and the Financial Assistance Rate (FAR) is confirmed by the Waka Kotahi board, there is no money available to undertake critical repairs within the Marlborough Sounds,” said Mayor Taylor.

"Following discussions with Waka Kotahi it was confirmed at yesterday’s committee meeting that an advance of up to $5 million may be available, based on a 71% FAR. This will be adjusted once the final FAR is confirmed for the Study area.”

Mayor Taylor acknowledged Waka Kotahi’s willingness to consider the advance which, if approved, would allow Council to progress these critical storm repairs. A decision is expected in around a month’s time.

The Marlborough Roads Recovery Team (MRRT) has a list of 25 sites within the Sounds that they believe need to be progressed. This funding also allows expenditure to “hold” sites, so they don’t deteriorate further, as well as to progress designs on some of the more complex and critical sites within the MSFAS area.

Some of the priority sites are listed below, with more to be confirmed:

• Akerbloms Road: $200k - drainage improvements
• Anakiwa Road: $250k - reinstate the road and lift traffic management restrictions
• Daltons Bridge: $600k - river repairs (probable rock revetment)
• Kenepuru Road - Torea Slip: $720k - build retaining wall, reinstate road and lift restrictions
• Moetapu Bay Road - Driftwood Corner: $400k - reinstate full width of road
• Moetapu Bay Road - Elephant Point: $100k - reinstate full width of road
• Port Underwood - Whatamonga dropouts: $980k – reinstate full width of road

“These sites have been prioritised based on safety to road users, possible damage to property, the risk of losing the existing road, cost increases due to further damage and to remove ongoing temporary traffic management requirements,” said Marlborough Roads Recovery Manager Steve Murrin.

“These are sites that if we do not do something now, there will be further issues down the line. These are critical repairs,” Mr Murrin told the committee.

“The two most critical sites regarding road user safety are on Moetapu Bay Road. There are also two under slips on Port Underwood Road that are likely to cause safety issues,” he said.

Design work will get underway on some of the sites while a decision is awaited from Waka Kotahi so as not to unduly delay the repair process.

Waka Kotahi has already approved funding of $52.39M at a 95% FAR for the completion of the stage 2 recovery to repair all sites outside of the MSFAS area.

The committee decision is subject to ratification by the full Council in September.

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