Contractors working to build the Bay Link have broken a sewer main pipe on Matapihi Rd. Photo / NZME
Contractors working to build the Bay Link have broken a sewer main pipe on Matapihi Rd. Photo / NZME
A burst sewer main in Matapihi that delayed traffic on the peninsula was caused by a roading contractor working on the Bayfair underpass.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency confirmed its contractor damaged the pipe.
Infrastructure delivery regional manager Jo Wilton said the repair, including any costs incurred or remediation required,would be the responsibility of the contractor.
"A sewer pipe was damaged on Thursday on the corner of Matapihi Rd and State Highway 2/Maunganui Rd as part of works required to connect the new underpass drainage into the existing network.
"Our contractor is working as fast as possible on the issue and expects to have the left lane of Matapihi Rd reopened to traffic tomorrow (Friday)."
What the entrance to the new Bayfair underpass could look like. Image / Supplied
Wilton said once repairs were complete, scheduled works on the underpass drainage would continue. The damage was not expected to delay the wider Bay Link project.
"Delays are anticipated for traffic coming from the Matapihi area. Our traffic management team are releasing queues on Matapihi Rd as frequently as possible while balancing traffic flows in other directions around the Bayfair roundabout.
"We have worked in conjunction with Tauranga City Council to contain wastewater spillage and there is no risk to the public or impact on the environment."
Roadworks in the area are part of the $262 million Baypark to Bayfair Project, also known as Baylink or B2B, on State Highway 2 and State Highway 29A at Mount Maunganui. New flyovers will bypass the busy Bayfair and Te Maunga roundabouts.
An underpass is being built under SH2/Maunganui Rd to allow cyclists and pedestrians to cross from the Matapihi side to the Bayfair mall side.
About 36,000 vehicles travel through the project site on SH2 each day.
Construction began in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2023.
A Tauranga City Council spokeswoman said the break to the pipe was "minor" and any wastewater spilled was contained.
"It has been contained within a trench that was already dug to allow for works. Sucker trucks have been taking away all wastewater flow while the pipe is repaired.
"It should be fully repaired later tonight [Thursday]. No wastewater reached the harbour or stormwater drains – it was all contained onsite."
The broken pipe is the latest in a string of wastewater-related woes in the Matapihi area.
The Bay of Plenty Times reported last week Te Kura O Matapihi school and nearby residents were calling for urgent action to fix a stinky problem with one of the air relief valves on the southern pipeline.
Principal Tui Rolleston said despite several attempts by the ouncil to resolve the issue, a foul odour was regularly expelled from the pipeline's air vent opposite the school. The council said it was working on a solution.
In April, wastewater overflow from a pipe being maintained at the end of the Matapihi Peninsula spilled onto Matapihi Rd and the Matapihi Rd carpark, where it ran into a storm drain, vegetation, the beach and into the harbour.
