The pathway that sits below the bank has been closed since it was damaged in the flood event of December 2019, it was further damaged in the February 2020 high river flows. These repairs are urgent to ensure there is not further damage to the rock protection along the bank upstream of the bridge and to address the ongoing movement of the steep scarp slope above the closed lower access pathway.

Repairs to the bank and pathway are not simple, and work to restore the structural integrity of the bank is required after trees uprooted and pulled away some of the rock work that supports the rock buttress. The Otago Regional Council (ORC) project team has been seeking a long-term and robust solution to repair and restore the rock buttress, and subsequently reopen the path, since earlier this year.

“It’s a complex project that involves repairs in the flowing river,” said ORC’s Manager Engineering, Michelle Mifflin. “We are taking a ‘do it once and do it well’ approach so the bank can perform well in future high flow events, and we don’t have to repeatedly close and repair the bank and pathway below it for years to come following high flow events.

“We’ve engaged experts to design a repair solution that will start to be implemented in the coming weeks and we anticipate the construction will be completed by December 2020, at which time the pathway will be reopened.”

If you have questions or would like to learn more about this project, ORC is holding a drop-in session where you can have a chat with their project team.

Date: Tuesday 8 September 2020

Time: 3pm to 6pm

Venue: Riverside Park Community Facility, corner of Heron Green and Wren Street, Albert Town.