Daily blasts for busway

From today there will be a lunchtime explosion alongside the Northern Motorway every weekday for the next three weeks.

The plan involves an underground bang a day between 1pm and 2pm as explosives experts blast through basalt rock to create a stormwater drain as a part of the Northern Busway project.

The area affected is a 360m length from south of Wairau Road along the southbound side of the Northern Motorway near Westlake Girls High School. Before each explosion police will do a rolling closure across the southbound lanes, creating a gap while the explosive is fired.

Northern Busways project manager Clive Fuhr says the blasting will be at least 3m underground and blasting mats will be placed over the area to prevent any flying debris. Each daily bang will last a few seconds.

He expects noise levels to be low and that residents are unlikely to detect any vibrations. The last bang is due on February 3.