Council thanks Karori residents

Wellington City Council has written to the Karori Residents Association thanking residents of the suburb for their input on the upcoming Allington Road culvert and Woodhouse slip remediation works.

“The feedback and suggestions from residents have gone a long way to us being able to deliver this work whilst understanding the impact that the construction will have on the community and ways for us to limit this impact,” the council’s Transport and Infrastructure Manager Brad Singh said in his 30 January letter.

The council currently plans to begin the Allington Road culvert construction around October this year, Mr Singh said.

“Our engineering team will endeavour to keep residents updated with the project as we continue to progress our plans, especially with regards to any proposed traffic diversions.

“We have made some changes to our original proposal based on your feedback, which we shared before Christmas last year, and we will continue to refine these plans over the course of the next few months.”

He was aware, Mr Singh said, that a number of residents were concerned about the slip events that happened last year and wanted to know how the council planned to proceed with remediation, particularly for the slip on Woodhouse Avenue.

“Our team is hard at work planning for remediation for a number of sites across Wellington post the events of last year.

“This is a large task and needs careful consideration of next steps”

The council was currently in an inspection and monitoring regime for this slip site while it plans the remediation

“This is expected to enter into construction towards the end of 2023 (to be sequenced in line with the culvert strengthening) after we have finalised the design and procured a suitably experienced contractor.

“The monitoring includes checking for any movement of the slip face as well regular inspection of the temporary safety solutions we have implemented.”

Traffic management and concrete blocks have both been put in place.

“We are also investigating the use of sensors to provide real time data on the slip face movement.

“However given the newness of the technology, we are unlikely to have anything significant in place before construction begins at this site.

“Last week, we undertook vibration testing at the site so that we can further understand the impact that vehicle movements may have on the slip face. This data will be essential as we plan any traffic diversions for construction work.

“I am aware that this has been a very trying time for a number of residents, filled with uncertainty and worry, and I want to assure you that we are working tirelessly on ensuring that we address your concerns.

“I would like to thank the [Karori Residents Association] for continuing to help us communicate with the community and I would like to encourage everyone by saying that we are furiously working in the background to try and resolve the community’s concerns,” Mr Singh said.

Last year the Karori Residents Association organised a meeting of residents, which drew a large attendance, with some 80 people attending, to discuss the proposed Allington Road culvert works.

Council officers attended the meeting and answered questions, as well as hearing a series of suggestions put forward by people in the community.

The Karori Residents Association has continued working closely with both the council and local residents with the aim of getting a good outcome for everyone.