The end is in sight for Hakiaha St water outages from the old breakage prone 450mm watermain with work scheduled to start this week on its replacement.

A new welded 180mm PVC watermain will be installed in stages using directional drilling equipment. The first stage to be replaced will be from River Rd down to Katarina St.

The directional drilling equipment eliminates the need to dig up the entire road, allowing the pipe to be "drilled and pulled" through a series of pilot holes along the street minimising disruption to businesses and residents while saving both time and money.

Vini Dutra, the Executive Manager of Infrastructure, stated that the Hakiaha St water main has been plagued by problems in recent years.

“The combination of a manufacturing fault, its age, and environmental factors has made it susceptible to ruptures caused by heavy vehicles running over it,” he said.

“The replacement of the water main will be a relief for local businesses that have suffered from water outages, as well as the Veolia crew, who often had to work overnight to repair the main whenever it broke.

As part of the redesign of the Taumarunui reticulated drinking water network, the 450mm main was relocated beneath Bell Rd, away from most heavy vehicle traffic and to make any future repairs and maintenance easier.

This first stage of the project is estimated to take approximately two weeks and will be carried out during daylight hours, with traffic management measures in place. Subsequently, the contractors will continue down Hakiaha St in stages of 180m to 200m until they reach the flyover.

To minimize disruption to businesses in the central business district (CBD) area, the drilling will take place at night, while the piping will be pulled through during daylight hours for the CBD stage.”

Mr. Dutra added that, as part of the project, a steel-encased 450mm main will be run under the railway lines, connecting Bell Rd with Hakiaha St. “This will complete a new watermain loop, spanning almost 4km including Hakiaha St, Bell Rd, and Short St.

Apart from a few smaller jobs in the coming years, these works will conclude the major upgrades planned for Taumarunui’s underground drinking water infrastructure.

Combined with the upgrades to Hospital Hill, Golf Rd, Simmons Rd and other works, they will significantly enhance the resilience of the township’s reticulated network.

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