Kererū kids visit gorge culvert rebuild

The keen kids of Kererū School headed out to Kererū Gorge this week to check on progress with the culvert rebuild on Kererū Road.

When Cyclone Gabrielle hit in February 2023, about 50 metres of Kererū Road was washed away, along with the culvert drainage, and the stream eroded to eight metres below its previous level.

As part of the project, the old three-metre diameter culvert is being replaced with a 15-metre-wide segmented culvert, which is nine metres high, and the road is being rebuilt to its previous level.

The students asked the Fulton Hogan crew lots of questions and actually went into the culvert itself.

They were amazed by the project's scale, including the extent of the slope stabilisation needed for safety, and the use of ropes and cranes to reach the upper banks.

Kaitiaki from Piringa Hapū o Ōmāhu also shared insights about how people used to navigate the land before roads.

Fulton Hogan crews have been working 12-hour shifts, including nights, to get the work done as quickly as possible on this complex project.

Having this complete will make a huge difference to those who live here or use the road regularly, who are currently having to travel an extra 30 minutes or more on the lengthy detours.

For more information about the Kererū Gorge Culvert rebuild, visit this page of the website. 

26 November 2024

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