The future of about 2km of Oamaru’s Beach Rd is in doubt, as the council is poised to excavate two historic dump sites, which will close part of the road for at least five months.
Mayor Gary Kircher said he could see the benefits of the road but the council also had a strategic approach to managed retreat.
Dealing to the old fly-tipping sites from next week is part of a $12 million-$15 million cleanup of three vulnerable coastal sites under the council’s Project Reclaim.
Work on the vulnerable former Hampden dump has been under way for the past eight weeks, and about 35,000 tonnes of material has already been transferred to the Palmerston landfill.
Overall, up to 45,000 tonnes, including from the Beach Rd sites, is expected to be carted to Palmerston.
And from next week , the 2km scenic stretch of Beach Rd immediately south of Oamaru will be closed for at least five months as council moves to deal with historic fly-tipping.
Beach Rd on that stretch is already highly vulnerable to the sea — particularly at the high coastal terrace near the Awamoa Central Rd junction, where undercutting is stark just metres from the road edge.
Further south, towards Kakanui, another section of the road was permanently closed by the council several years ago due to coastal erosion.
Waitaki District Council solid waste manager Steve Clarke told the Otago Daily Times last week that reinstating the 2km section of affected road by December was "the aim". But as with the historic Hampden dump, the extent of the problem would only become clear once work on the two fly-tipping sites began, he said.
Mr Clarke confirmed the extent of the Beach Rd work was "estimated" at this stage.
"At the moment only one site appears to extend beneath the roadway, requiring excavation. The second site is near to the road, but indications so far are that it is not underneath the road," he said.
"Once excavation begins, the total depth and area will become much clearer."
By last week about 35,000 tonnes alone had been removed in the Hampden cleanup.
Last week, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said the future of Beach Rd was by no means certain.
The council had already been considering a strategic approach, including the possibility of rerouting due to the erosion threat, Mr Kircher said.
"We do have a strategy around managed retreat."
But with the temporary closure imminent, the council also had "to weigh the benefits" of reinstatement versus more radical options, including "managed retreat".
A key consideration was the impact on directly affected property owners.
Mr Kircher said Beach Rd’s known worth as an alternative route for rural residents south of Oamaru was an important consideration but meantime the dump remediation area raised the issue.
"It will be closed for Project Reclaim, and to put the road back in afterwards requires quite a bit of rebuilding — is it worth doing that? But if we look at the impact of people having to go on alternative roads and the lost amenity value — a lot of people get pleasure out of it, and for good reason.
"These things are part of weighing it up. At the moment it certainly is looking at how we are reinstating the road."
The council had not initially been aware it could apply to the Ministry for the Environment for a subsidy for Project Reclaim given it was dealing with a historic problem, Mr Kircher said.
"It’s going to take some time to know ... We missed out with the initial application — we’re hoping to get something from that."
The purchase of adjoining property was an option on the table.
"I think fundamental is the desire to put the road back," Mr Kircher said.
Meantime, Waitaki had other vulnerable coastal sites it might yet have to deal with under the council’s next long-term plan.
"I’m sure there will be other sites at some stage. These are the immediate ones."
Potential sites included the Hampden Cemetery, at Moeraki, and the Waitaki River mouth.
