HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

19 APRIL 2013

Traffic delays on Marine Drive/Howard Road

Vehicles travelling on Marine Drive and Howard Road in Eastbourne will experience delays from Monday 22 April while removal of unstable rocks in the area takes place.

Traffic delays are expected for five days between 9am and 3pm daily.

A manual stop/go system will manage traffic and at times Marine Drive will be down to one lane. A full road closure for a brief period (likely to be 15 minutes) will also be required.

Council's Road Asset Manager Ted Greig is urging motorists to be patient.

"Our contactor, Fulton Hogan Ltd, will be actively monitoring traffic flow to minimise delays and will be reopening the roads to two-way traffic at 3pm daily to allow for peak traffic.

"We apologise for any inconvenience these delays will cause motorists but emphasise this work must happen. Our advice to motorists is to take note of the potential delays and plan accordingly," he says.

The need to remove rocks was identified during the current stage of the Howard Road upgrade project. Investigations into the rock slope revealed a section of unstable rock about 30m above Marine Drive on the southern side of the Marine Drive/Howard Road intersection.

"As part of the natural weathering and erosion process cracks have opened up behind a section of rock. To minimise any risk of the rocks falling down we're undertaking this urgent work to remove the unstable sections."

ENDS

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