Piping of the open drain on Kitchener Street is set to start in less than a fortnight.

The open drain, that starts near the town’s southern entrance on Achilles Street and runs right down to the river on Kopu Road, has attracted additional external funding secured under the NZTA road safety funding criteria.

Piping the open drain is part of a Wairoa District Council plan to future-proof the town’s stormwater network with the Kitchener Street drain recognised as a safety issue and eyesore.

Council had already made a commitment to start piping the open drain with the additional funding meaning the piping will be extended.

Wairoa District Council acting chief executive Stephen Heath said for decades the public have wanted to have this drain piped and it is fantastic that it is finally going to happen.

Work on the first stage is expected to begin on Monday October 21 with indications the project will take at least 10-weeks to complete- weather permitting.

The hours of work will be 7am-7pm from Monday to Friday with some weekend work to be considered.

Mr Heath said there will be some disruption to residents but having the drain completed will be a great result.

10 October 2019

Back to Archive