The southern end of Waipawa’s Harker St has been closed to vehicles since Cyclone Gabrielle swept away the road and damaged the KiwiRail bridge.
Work to reopen Harker St in Waipawa, Central Hawke’s Bay, will begin next week.
Flooding from the Waipawa River during Cyclone Gabrielle severely damaged the southern end of the street, including KiwiRail’s bridge, under which Harker St passes. The southern end of the road has been closed to vehicles since the February 2023 cyclone.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council expressed concerns about managing repairs, amid the millions of dollars worth of cyclone damage across the district. The council has now secured external funding to restore vehicle access to the street and repair the protective structure on both sides of the railway bridge.
Acknowledging the community’s patience over the past year, Central Hawke’s Bay District deputy mayor Kelly Annand said that had been a barrier to repairing the protective structure on both sides of the bridge over the street, but that “We are pleased to announce we are now able to restore this vital connection in Waipawa”.
The work is expected to take two months.
Harker St connects State Highway 2 to Victoria Street and served as an access to Waipawa Primary School, businesses, recreational facilities and the camping ground.
Since the cyclone damaged the underpass, the street’s southern exit has been closed to through traffic creating a dead-end, which has meant all school traffic has had to come through Victoria St, , with safety concerns over vehicles using Harker St as a school drop-off point.
Waipawa School principal Paul Jamieson was looking forward to the reinstatement of the underpass.
“The 3pm rush to pick up children will now be a much calmer and safer experience for our students, staff and families.
“It will make a huge difference to our school community to have through traffic flowing again, with no more u-turns outside school and less congestion at the Victoria Street intersection – we can’t wait”
Work is planned to begin with inspections of the street’s existing stormwater network, followed by any repairs required to these assets.
The street will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists for the duration of the works, which will involve reinstating the protective structure on both sides of the bridge, repairing and marking the road surface, and installing new signage.
The council anticipates work to be completed in July (weather dependent), in time for the community to access Madge Hunter Park and Waipawa’s swimming pool in spring/summer.
“The reinstatement of Harker St marks a step forward in recovering from the cyclone and enhancing community connectivity and infrastructure within Waipawa,” Annand said.
“The project demonstrates the council’s commitment to listening to and addressing the needs and concerns of residents, as well as contributing to the activation of Waipawa’s town centre.
“The council will keep the Waipawa community well informed throughout the project, including on how this work will interact with the broader Streets for People programme of work down the main street of Waipawa.”
“A settlement without a newspaper is like a dumb man; it has no voice.”