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Auckland City contractors have been instructed to tear up and replace almost 80m of new footpath laid as part of the troubled $32 million roading upgrade through Greenlane.
The council has confirmed the latest setback to the project, which suffered a $13 million cost blowout before being put under the charge of a new management team last year.
But transport infrastructure delivery manager Tim Lott said the remedial work would be paid for by the contractors at no added cost to ratepayers. He did not expect the repairs to delay the project.
Although the new footpath on the eastern side of Great South Rd between the Greenlane intersection and the Harp of Erin posed no safety risks to pedestrians, the council had asked the contractors to replace short sections and three vehicle crossings which did not meet required standards, he said.
That was to make the footpath easier for mobility scooters, wheelchair users and prams, and followed complaints by five people about the evenness of the surface and gradients at the vehicle crossings.
The project was struck by a range of woes ranging from land purchase delays and management difficulties to hard volcanic rock and poor information from utility companies about the location of underground service lines.
