Preparations start on pipeline project

Jordan Field at Memorial Park. Photo and Video: Rosalie Crawford.

Contractors Brian Perry Civil has begun preparing Jordan Field at Memorial Park for the harbour crossing section of the Southern Pipeline Project.

The under harbour crossing is the last major stage of the $99 million pipeline project and it will see the field out of action for the rest of the year.

Southern Pipeline project manager Steve Wiggill says a new base has been laid down ready for the arrival of heavy machinery and pipe materials.

Then in April/May, steel pipe sections will be welded together and strung out from Jordan Field, past the front of the swimming pool and the newly constructed Memorial Park Pump Station.

Public access to all facilities in Memorial Park and Jordan Field will be maintained during the process and a temporary access way is being built around the rowing club. The contractor will be established at Jordan Field until December. The field will be restored once the project is finished.

The harbour crossing will be drilled under the harbour bed between Matapihi and Memorial Park. Before the drilling starts, long steel pipes will be pushed into the soil below the harbour bed. These are outer steel sleeves that will protect the harbour when we start drilling through them, says Steve.

A schematic of how the pipline will cross under the harbour. Supplied Image.

The pipe will then be winched through the drilled hole through to Matapihi. Once the steel casing pipe is installed, the plastic wastewater pipe will be pushed through. The steel casing will provide a protective layer between the wastewater pipe and the soils deep under the harbour.

On the Matapihi side, the car park at the end of Matapihi Road will be closed for the duration of the project. A temporary carpark and turning bay will be built about 200m up the road. Pedestrian access will stay open for people to walk or bike through to the beach and rail bridge.

The Southern Pipeline will be complete and fully operational by December.

The contract is the last major work for the $99M Southern Pipeline project. The work under the contract provides a pipeline link under the harbour from the Memorial Park Pump Station across to the pipeline section that has been constructed at Matapihi. The under harbour pipe will be drilled from both ends to a maximum depth of around 40m.

Tender applications for a trenchless harbour crossing of the Memorial Park to Matapihi stage of the Southern Pipeline were first released in 2014 – two years after the city council was forced to look at other options for the harbor crossing section of the 14.5km pipeline when Kiwirail rejected a proposal to hitchhike the pipeline across the railway bridge.

The work zone at Jordan Field. Supplied Image.

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2 comments

Pipe Line

Posted on 09-03-2017 17:54 | By no onehome

Lost touch of what is going on in the BOP is this pipeline for tutai or H2O and sad that Kiwirail could not allow a simple solution to practical solution.Once again the rate payers are the piggy bank for council


Under harbor

Posted on 16-03-2017 00:02 | By Roadkill

is a huge risk, a leak, no means to remedy, no plan at all ex TCC on how//when/why they would remedy a leak, there will be a leak. That much is sure. But anyway that simply means the sewerage will take the short path into harbour waters


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