The five-tonne, four-metre by four-metre, "connector detail" that will join the pipes on the corner of Nottingley Rd and Frimley Rd. Photo / Supplied
The five-tonne, four-metre by four-metre, "connector detail" that will join the pipes on the corner of Nottingley Rd and Frimley Rd. Photo / Supplied
A hole has been dug and huge pipes have arrived for installation in Frimley this week as part of the Hastings drinking water strategy.
Polyethylene pipes and a large five-tonne pipe connector in Frimley are part of the water infrastructure network upgrade in Frimley.
Hastings District Council's Frimley project manager, Herman Wismeyer, said the two main parts of the project – the pipe work and the storage and treatment facility – were proceeding well.
Construction of the treatment and storage facility started last week after the resource consent process was completed.
"While the pipe work alone would have improved the network, by having both parts of the project we achieve those aims around water safety, capacity and resilience to a far greater level."
Fulton Hogan has been contracted by Hastings District Council to complete the pipe installation; project managed by the company's Three Waters Department manager Joe Symonds.
The 500mm striped pipes for raw water, 560mm and 630mm blue for drinking water have been fusion welded together to do away with traditional "joints" that were a weak point in pipe systems.
The pipes use high-density polyethylene to remove the risk of contaminants getting into the water system through joins and are also seismic resistant.
Despite a drill rig on Frimley Rd boring a hole underground for the pipe to be drawn back through, major excavations are still required.
There is a 6m by 6m hole at the Nottingley Rd and Frimley Rd intersection where a five-tonne "three-legged" connection detail which measures about 4m by 4m will be installed atop a 150-tonne concrete anchor block.
It will be moved into the hole in two weeks and will then be connected to the new and existing pipes.
Following this the hole will be filled and the roundabout reinstalled.
Symonds said this will take about another seven or eight weeks depending on the weather and ground conditions.
As the project progresses pipe connections will also be required at the Frimley Rd and Hapuku St intersection and where new water treatment and storage facilities pipes will join on to the water main.
