Chrystal Culvert rebuild marks cyclone recovery milestone

A year and a half on from Cyclone Gabrielle, the first major permanent rebuild of a bridge/culvert is complete, with Chrystal Culvert in the Tutira area now open and in use.

During the storm, 13 bridges and six large culverts were destroyed amid significant damage to the roading network across the Hastings district, including hundreds of slips and a further 160 bridges impacted and needing repair.

Chrystal Twin Culvert on Matahorua Road was destroyed when flood waters sent a water tank downstream, blocking the culverts pipes and causing the water to build-up and encroach over the top of the road.

The scouring out that followed eventually led to the road being completely washed away, creating a 35-metre gap.

In the immediate aftermath, Council’s roading team and contractors established four-wheel-drive vehicle access upstream of the culvert site and by May 2023 a permanent solution was being investigated.

Today, the twin culvert has been redesigned to be a 3.2 metre diameter single culvert, with over nine metres of stone blocks above it, up to the formation of Matahorua Road. 

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said that in the face of a huge programme of work to restore the transport network, it was heartening to have a permanent rebuild completed.

“Our thanks go to the Government for the funding support to undertake this extensive rebuild that’s vital for the community for now and for future resilience.

“It’s been a large and complex job and we have been very grateful to the community for their patience during months of reconstruction.

“This is the first of a number of large rebuilds that are underway or scheduled over the next seven to ten years, it’s a large programme of work and will continue to be a primary focus for council as we seek to restore resilient access for impacted communities.”

In Tutira, this includes the repair of Waikoau Bridge, and the design work for the Arapawanui low-level crossing and Kahika culvert.

Elsewhere in the district, work began in June this year on rebuilding of a permanent bridge at Puketapu, and work is also underway on Dartmoor Rd, rebuilding after a large washout.

In March this year, work also began on the permanent repair of Kererū Gorge Road, where 50 metres of road was lost.

A supplier panel of four contractors has been set up who will be tendering for large packages of slip repair work. The first of these will be along Taihape Road and this has been awarded to TW Group who will commence site establishment in early August.

Other cyclone recovery work includes working through the voluntary buy-out programme for Category 3 property owners.

To date about 84 per cent of eligible property owners have received an offer on their property, over 60 per cent of offers have been accepted, 52 per cent of properties have settled, and nearly 30 per cent of properties have had demolition undertaken.

19 July 2024

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