11 April 2017

New Lynn update

Progress is being made to alleviate congestion through west Auckland’s New Lynn, caused by damage to Great North Road near Clark Street.

Following an unprecedented weather event on 12 March, a large amount of debris was swept downstream, blocking the culvert at Clark Street and causing the road and footpath above to fail. Further severe rainfall on 20 March compounded the problem.

Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters department is currently installing a second pipe alongside the blocked culvert. From there, repair works can continue on site with the goal to re-open the intersection as soon as possible.

Another weather event is forecast for later this week which may affect progress at the site.

Barry Potter, Director of Environmental and Infrastructure Services, says the council’s priority is to get New Lynn back up and running.

“We are committed to resolving the issues caused by these severe weather events and repairing the culvert as quickly as we can. In the meantime, we encourage people to use alternative routes or trains.

“Over the next couple of days, we’ll be meeting with local businesses and others to update them on our progress and the measures we have planned to alleviate the situation in the coming weeks,” Mr Potter says.

Traffic management
Road access along Great North Road, between Titirangi Road and Clark Street, remains closed. Alternative routes have been signposted for motorists and pedestrians, and the council encourages the public to drive to the conditions.

To support these detours, the phasing of traffic signals has been actively managed and manual stop-go intersections are in place, Auckland Transport says.

Detours are in place at:
City-bound: Rata St through to Rosebank Road,
West-bound: Wolverton through Portage Road and Margan Ave.

A map showing these detours is attached.

Hotspots cleared
With more wild weather forecast for Auckland later this week, the council’s Healthy Waters department has, as part of its regular hotspot maintenance programme, begun clearing blocked inlets, outlets, catchpits and ponds that are known to contribute to flooding issues.

“A portion of these are high risk and therefore included on our regular ‘hot spot’ programme so are cleared before and after a heavy rain event,” Mr Potter says.

The Clark St culvert in New Lynn was cleared prior to both the 12 March and 3 April weather events, he adds.

“If you live in an area that is prone to flooding, is already saturated or might be affected by slips, we recommend preparing for the incoming weather,” he says.

If your property or suburb is flood-prone
· Make sure drains and gutters are cleared
· Report any blocked or overflowing public street drains – see the Auckland Council website for more information
· Move any items in flood-prone areas somewhere they won’t get wet or damaged.

If your property or suburb may be affected by slips or power outages
· Prepare for the possibility that your road access may be cut off
· Ensure you have food and provisions on hand in case of isolation
· Never attempt to drive over slips
· Treat power lines as live at all times.

What to do in an emergency
If there is an immediate risk to life or property contact the Fire Service on 111. Phone the council on 09 301 0101 to report non-urgent flooding issues, including:
· missing, damaged or dislodged manhole lids
· drains blocked by debris

ENDS

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