Stormwater upgrade planned for Margaret Road

Council will shortly commence work to upgrade stormwater network capacity in Raumati. The upgrade will involve replacing a section of pipe below the ground on Margaret Road between the southern end of the Raumati Village shops and Victor Grove. 

Access and Transport Manager, Glen O’Connor, says the Council had originally scheduled the stormwater upgrade for the year 2023/24, but has brought it forward to accommodate future property development in the area.  

“The Raumati Pump Station and other storm water infrastructure was upgraded in 2013 to improve drainage on Margaret Road and around the village centre. The upcoming works will extend the upgrades further along Margaret Road and will enhance stormwater network capacity.   

“At the same time, we’re upgrading the footpath on the eastern side of Margaret Road, from just south of Reddins Restaurant to Kapiti College. This will provide a safer and wider pedestrian link to and from the village.”   

Mr O’Connor says the works are expected to take about six weeks to complete and traffic management will be in place. 

“Stormwater projects require extensive excavation work, so we’ll be closing Margaret Road from south of the shops to Victor Road, with a detour for through traffic via Rosetta Road and Victor Road.”

“Residents will still have access to their properties, but there will be no on-street parking within the work zone. Margaret Road businesses will be accessible, with all but the three southern-most parallel parks available as normal.”

Ends

LED street lights to reduce lighting costs by $130,000 a year

The Council has just finished converting the District’s 4,700 street lamps to LED bulbs – a more modern and efficient type of lighting.  

“At the Council we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce energy consumption, and running our street lights is one of the big expenses on our power bills,” says Council’s Group Manager Infrastructure Services, Sean Mallon. 

“Our latest power bill in June showed a near-70% drop in street light energy consumption compared to the same time last year. Now we’ve finished the conversions we’re expecting to see savings of at least $130k a year. 

“We’re also anticipating some minor additional savings on maintenance costs as LEDs (or light emitting diode bulbs) tend to last about 15 years longer than the old sodium vapour bulbs.  

“We’ll be re-investing the savings back into our upkeep of the District’s road networks.”    

Mr Mallon says the conversions took place over a two year period and were made possible as a result of a one-off government subsidy from the NZ Transport Authority, which covered 85% of the funding.   

“The conversion to LED street lighting is a significant change the Council has been able to make to reduce our carbon footprint and be more efficient in the way we operate.”

-KCDC

Council to improve safety of Waikanae Beach intersection

Waimea & Te Moana Intersection - Photo: Tony Cutting (Kapiti Now)

The Council is responding to calls from the community to improve the safety of a busy intersection in Waikanae Beach, where Te Moana Road meets with Ono Street and Waimea Road.   

“It’s a busy intersection and an important connection point for this part of Waikanae Beach. We’re taking steps to make it as safe as possible for the many motorists, pedestrians and cyclists who go through it every day,” says Kāpiti Coast District Council Group Manager Infrastructure Services, Sean Mallon. 

“The works will include establishing pedestrian crossing points, kerb realignments, improved road markings and better footpath connections on the corners of Waimea Road.” 

Mr Mallon says concerns have been raised with the Council about increasing traffic volumes passing through the intersection in recent years. 

“It’s a popular crossing spot for pedestrians and can get very busy during rush hour, so we’re making these improvements now to reduce the risk of accidents happening in the future.”  

“The crossing points, road markings and kerb realignment will increase visibility on the intersection, for both pedestrians and motorists, and help to stem the speed of traffic.  

“We’ll be starting work on the upgrades next week and expect they’ll take about two months, subject to weather.  

“Traffic management will be in place throughout the improvement works so we urge people to allow a little extra time for their journey and to take care when passing through the intersection.”

-KCDC

Rimu Road improvements to start next week

The Kāpiti Coast District Council will make the most of quieter roads during the school holidays to make improvements to Rimu Road. For two weeks, from Monday 15 April until Friday 26 April between 7.30am and 5pm, the Council’s contractors will carry out repair and resurfacing works on the section of Rimu Road between Ihakara Street and Raumati Road. A detour will be in place to reduce the amount of through traffic moving through the worksite.  

Group Manager Infrastructure Services Sean Mallon says these important works will help keep this busy road up to scratch.  

“We’ll replace the existing surface with a new asphalt surface to repair wear and tear and help keep this busy road waterproof.” 

Mr Mallon says he’s aware it’s a busy road, connecting Paraparaumu to Raumati, so Council and the contractors carrying out the work will doing everything possible to minimise disruption.  

“We’ll carry out the work in stages during the school holidays while the roads are quieter. We’ll start at the southern end of Rimu Road (near Raumati Road), moving north to finish just south of the businesses near the Ihakara Street intersection. We need to keep access open for these businesses, so this part of the road will be resurfaced at a later date to minimise disruption for them.” 

To carry out the work efficiently and safely, Council will reduce the amount of traffic using this section of road, by having two types of traffic management in place:

·        A detour will be in place to direct through traffic to use the alternative route, via Ihakara Street, the main road (old SH1) and Raumati Road.

·        Stop/go will be in place to let residents, buses, pedestrians, cyclists and business customers through.

Signage will be in place, and traffic managers on site will direct people as they approach, depending on where they’re going.   

“Managing traffic on this busy road will be complex, so there are likely to be delays, but we’ll do everything to keep them to a minimum. Please follow the direction of staff on site or ask for direction if you’re unsure, and avoid the area if possible.”

-KCDC