Friday 23 September

Landscaping gateway roundabout

Landscaping of the Waipaoa roundabout has begun this week with the removal of weeds and vegetation.

The landscaping which is being carried out by Siteworx and Aborcare, is expected to be completed as soon as inspection work on water utilities is finished.

“The design and plant selection were chosen to be low maintenance, open and accessible should we need to carry out maintenance – particularly as water mains run underneath the roundabout," says contracts and assets manager Garrett Blair.

“In the centre of the roundabout will be wild iris, native grasses and cabbage trees. Outer gardens will be planted in an orange coloured Karamu (Coprosma) with Libertia (NZ iris) instead of the grass pictured in the image.”

Upgrade works on the roundabout and bridge by Tairawhiti Roads got under way in May.

The work included road re-surfacing and concreting of the four approach islands, repairs made on the bridge hand railing system and installation of a subsoil drainage system within the garden to prevent water from affecting the road as it has done in the past. A guard rail system to help protect the city water main was also installed in August.

One reason for the redesign of the roundabout garden was the drainage. Previously water ran into a shallow ditch around the perimeter of the roundabout, this meant it seeped under the road, causing issues like potholes.

Mr Blair says Council has waited until this road and utility work was complete before starting on a revamp of the roundabout garden to avoid duplication or having to re-plant.

“We’ve saved and will reuse some of the plants back in the roundabout as only a few species transplant well. The Hebe and grasses will be used in this and other gardens around the district.”

“We’ll also be exploring ideas for installing pou as a focal point to enhance the landscaping on the roundabout, which will be added at a later date.”

The rain this week has made the area quite wet. As soon as the soil is dry enough landscaping will take about two weeks to complete.

ENDS

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