Christchurch City Council is set to invest $1.5 million dollars to complete the most complex section of the multi-million dollar Te Ara Ihutai Christchurch Coastal Pathway.
The Government provided $15.8 million in Shovel Ready funding to build the missing section of the Coastal Pathway – between the eastern end of Redcliffs Village and Shag Rock, Sumner – but Council expects now say the pathway construction will cost $17.3 million.
“The marine environment and the narrow road posed all sorts of unknown challenges, but the team now fully understands what’s required, how long it will take, and what it will cost,” says Council General Manager Infrastructure, Planning and Regulatory Services, Jane Davis.
“Our focus has always been on delivering a quality, future-proof pathway while keeping the impact on the environment and the community to a minimum, and we always knew this section of pathway was going to be complicated. However, we’ve faced some additional challenges, including COVID-19 related delays in obtaining construction materials, that have added to the costs of the project,” Ms Davis says.
“Fulton Hogan developed a different way of delivering the works that addressed many of the challenges associated with the marine environment and ground conditions. Because this area of Moncks Bay is known as an early settlement area for both Māori and Europeans, the cost also includes archaeological and cultural monitoring of all excavation works, and monitoring of white flippered penguins that breed in the area.
“Amending some of our resource consents to accommodate these changes resulted in additional design and consenting costs, but has reduced the risks and given us greater certainty over the final cost.
“Despite the challenges of building this section of the pathway, Fulton Hogan has been making excellent progress and we are still on track to finish the pathway by the end of 2023,” Ms Davis says.
She said Council will seek approval for the additional funds at its 28 July Council meeting.
