If you drive from New Brighton over the Pages Rd bridge you might notice construction activity on the right hand side.
Prior to the Canterbury earthquakes the area consisted of several residential buildings, and the asbestos is thought to be related to their old structures, foundations and services. Lately this area has been part of the Residential Red Zone and was vegetated with grass and some shrubs.
During work on a ‘Land Drainage Recovery Programme flood management project’ some old asbestos buried underground on the worksite has been discovered.
The City Council is confident it will be able to manage any risk to the public contractors. The entire worksite has now been contained with barriers and warning signs, with no public access permitted. All necessary health and safety precautions to ensure no one is exposed are being taken, and a specialist asbestos removal contractor engaged for containing the asbestos within the worksite and looking at the appropriate means of disposal and any contaminated soil.
This may involve extra truck movements along Pages Road / Anzac Drive and contractors are working hard to minimise any noise or disruption to traffic in the area.
If you would like further information or have any questions or concerns, please phone 027 245 1478 or email directly to:
Kamal.Narang@ccc.govt.nz (Senior Project Manager Three Waters & Waste Unit Christchurch City Council).
This project is the first work on a series of stormwater basins in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (ŌARC) with construction of a nine-hectare flood management area under way beside Anzac Drive and Pages Road.
.As well as addressing the regular flooding that occurs in that portion of the regeneration area encompassing part of Pages Rd, this basin will improve the quality of the water entering the Ōtākaro Avon River and begin preparing Christchurch to address the future threats from sea-level rise.
The project will also increase the ecological values of the ŌARC and create valuable habitats for coastal and wetland native flora and fauna and as part of the landscaping, create footpaths and walkways through the regenerated wetland area.