Work will soon commence to upgrade and replace the aging handrails at St Clair Esplanade.

The almost 500m long balustrade at the top of the St Clair esplanade sea wall will be replaced with a polished high grade stainless steel version in stages over the next few months.

Dunedin City Council Group Manager Transport Jeanine Benson says there are sections where the existing railing has corroded posing a potential hazard.

“We’re taking a pragmatic approach to replace the entire rail to ensure consistency in a vibrant part of our city. The new railings are polished high-grade stainless steel, therefore will be resistant to further corrosion and rusting.”

Scheduled to begin in April, work will start beside the St Clair Surf Lifesaving Clubrooms ramp and progress in sections of about 30 metres at a time, reaching the St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool before the end of the year.

“We’ve updated our work schedule to take advantage of the improving weather conditions following an unfortunate wet period in the early months of this year,” Ms Benson says.

The new sections of balustrade will be prefabricated off-site to keep any work at the esplanade to a minimum.

“We have spoken to St Clair businesses and delivered letters to neighbours, assuring them there will be minimal disruption.”

A small amount of protective scaffolding will be placed along the top of the seawall beside each section being swapped out. The edge scaffolding will only be in place at each section as it is replaced and will be moved along the sea wall as the work progresses. It will either be clamped in place or fixed to the edge capping of the seawall, and there will be no closures of the esplanade while the work is carried out. Footpath and road access will be maintained at all times.

“There will be small sections of rail brought to site and bolted in place on the day so there should be few disturbances,” Ms Benson says.

The work will be carried out during working hours, although contractors may need to adjust the work schedule depending on tidal movements and weather in order to carry it out safely.

The design of the balustrades and framing will remain the same although be increased in height to reflect regulation updates. The wooden handrails will be re-finished and reused as much as possible, otherwise sustainably sourced Kwila hardwood will be used to replace any wood that has deteriorated beyond repair.

The project has a budget of $655,000. At this stage there is no plan upgrade to the Esplanade itself, but there may be an opportunity for remedial work to amenities such as benches and bins.

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