A $2.5 million repair job has been recommended by independent engineers WSP to bring a 40-year-old stormwater culvert near State Highway 3, at the Mangorei road intersection, up to scratch.
The repairs would fix a 60-metre stretch of stormwater pipe on Waiwaka Terrace and a decision on the project will be made by the mayor and councillors at a meeting on September 1.
This one-off and unbudgeted piece of work highlights the precarious state of the district's water network which was highlighted during ex-Cyclone Gita, with $44m immediately set aside for short-term upgrades while further independent reviews of the whole network were carried out.
"We treasure our water here in New Plymouth District, and living in a lifestyle capital with such high rainfall, we need a stormwater system that flushes out residual water efficiently," says New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) infrastructure manager David Langford.
"This culvert is a risk to public safety and private property. The problem section runs beneath a private driveway and it'll be a tricky job due to a number of factors, including the depth and the need to keep services operating while we work.