NZ Transport Agency staff and contractors have confirmed that the scale of the work needed to reinstate the footpath and seawall on Nelson’s Rocks Road is not as extensive as originally thought after the 1 February storm and king tides.
NZ Transport Agency staff and contractors have confirmed that the scale of the work needed to reinstate the footpath and seawall on Nelson’s Rocks Road is not as extensive as originally thought after the 1 February storm and king tides.
Crews are now completing work on the cliff face and will be able to start the road reconstruction work tonight, Tuesday, 13 February, a week later than was originally programmed.
“We’re going to be able to do the seawall repairs at the same time as the rest of the work which is great news,” says Transport Agency System Manager, Frank Porter. “We can repair the damaged seawall, footpath and also complete the originally planned road reconstruction at the same time, rather than waiting until later in the year.”
The current 30km/hour temporary speed limit along Rocks Road (Magazine Point to Basin Reserve) will remain in place until the project is finished, around Easter, the end of March.
Cyclists will need to merge with traffic through the work site. Alternative pedestrian access around Magazine Point will be provided during the day, however, at night this may be limited due to the repair work. Crews on site will assist pedestrians safely through the work site when they are there, with temporary pedestrian access through the work site outside of those times.
“Waimea Road is available for motorists and cyclists using the Cycle Trail as an alternative route between Tahunanui and Nelson city,” says Mr Porter. “We ask cyclists and pedestrians to take extra care and for drivers to slow down and let cyclists have right of way for their safety in the narrower road space on Rocks Road. The speed will be reduced to 30km/hour. Ideally, we would encourage all road users to take another way into the city as much as is possible while this work is underway.
“While it has taken time to establish the full extent of the work needed to reinstate the footpath and seawall, we now have confidence that the repairs can happen in conjunction with the planned road reconstruction this summer, minimizing the long term disruption.
“While we can’t control the weather, we will do our best to minimise the disruption to the community and businesses. We will be producing regular updates which will be posted on the project page.”
Work also continues to construct a new shared path in the Port area at Haven Road, between the Maitai River and Rocks Road.
“The improvements along Rocks Road will make the road and its surface safer for everyone – cyclists, motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, so we ask for people’s understanding while we cause some disruption in coming days.”
