All go for Ōwairaka and Wesley watermain project

With the investigation works for the Ōwairaka and Wesley watermain project now complete, we have the green light to upgrade crucial water infrastructure to improve services and facilitate future development in the area.

Beginning this week, the construction work in Wesley will involve installing 4.2 kilometres of new pipeline to enable future growth in this area.

The new watermains, to be installed by our construction partner Fulton Hogan, will range between 200mm to 610mm in diameter. This will enable larger volumes of water to be transported from the Mt Albert Reservoir to homes, businesses, public facilities and future developments.

The main works follow on from the construction of new watermains on O’Donnell Ave, Parkinson Ave, Farrelly Ave and Denize Rd completed in mid August.

Project manager Peter Kukulsky says the next stage will continue from where the early works left off and will be executed by crews working simultaneously across two sites to speed up delivery.

“Both crews will begin the work at the same time. The first crew will be installing a watermain from the corner of Hendon Ave up Richardson Rd all the way up La Veta Ave and connecting it to Mt Albert reservoir. The second crew will be working a couple of blocks away, upgrading the pipelines on Denny Ave, Mt Roskill Rd, May Rd, and Memorial Ave.

“By having two crews working simultaneously, we’re aiming to have the new watermains installed by the end of next year and commissioned in mid 2026.”

Kukulsky says the work will cause some traffic delays as the pipeline will be installed using open trenching due to the hard rock beneath the road surface.

“Using this method will require us to implement traffic management. One-way detours will need to be put in place to enable us to complete sections of the pipeline as efficiently and safely as possible.”

Kukulsky says this will be the third project we will deliver under the $95m ‘shovel-ready’ programme to improve water services in Mt Roskill and its surrounding suburbs.

“The other two water infrastructure projects in the Mt Roskill ‘shovel-ready’ scheme are the Akarana Booster Pump Station and Waikōwhai works.

“The Akarana booster pump station project is now complete and will be brought into service later this year after the Waikōwhai watermains project is completed.”