Work on one of the Invercargill City Council’s major infrastructure investments is on the home stretch.
The Branxholme Pipeline Upgrade will ensure water is able to get to Invercargill and Bluff without disruption, and the community continues to enjoy access to clean, safe drinking water.
The project will replace more than 10km of pipeline, connecting the Ōreti River at the Branxholme Water Treatment Plant to the water tower in Gala St.
Physical work on the $27 million project began in August 2022.
It is scheduled to be completed in the middle of the year.
Council programme director Lee Butcher said in a statement the project was now highly visible, and work in Gala St was in full swing.
"As the project has progressed, it has passed through a number of semi-rural and residential areas, but since early this year the installation of the pipeline has progressed to parts of the city where its impact is more noticeable to a greater number of people within the community," he said.
"We are really in the thick of things now, and the work we need to undertake in order to get the water from the treatment plant at Branxholme to the water tower on Gala St means our contractors have to access key streets in the heart of the city.
"The nature of the work means it is inevitable that we have to introduce measures such as road closures and traffic restrictions, so we encourage the community to keep an eye on all of our communications channels to ensure they’re up to speed with where we are and when," he said.
The pipeline installation in Gala St would progress west until the end of this month.
Traffic management would maintain two-way access for the road, before eventually reaching Kelvin St.
Work there would head north towards Herbert St, also with traffic management.
Kelvin St would be northbound only, the road closed between Fox St and Herbert St.
"We’re doing everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum, but the reality is that this work needs to be done to ensure our city’s infrastructure continues to function well.
"It’s a bit of short-term pain for long-term gain, and we really appreciate everybody’s patience as this significant project keeps cracking on," Mr Butcher said.
Additional work would also be undertaken in River St, while minor work would also be carried out at Myers Reserve and Thomsons Bush, as well as along the rider main from Pomona Rd West to McIvor Rd, before the project was officially completed.
"We’re looking forward to the completion of the project, which is essential in maintaining our city’s critical water infrastructure."
The new 10km pipeline upgrade replaces infrastructure which was originally installed in 1958. — APL
