Sign In / Register
Since the January 27, 2023 floods, nearly $40 million will have been spent fixing roads and slips in the Albany ward. Over $10 million of this is being spent on the Hibiscus Coast alone, with a significant portion of that being spent on fixing roads in and around Stillwater. In particular, Duck Creek Road and Spur Road.
Work has started on the first of two more major projects – Hibiscus Coast Highway, Hatfields Beach. The Wade River Road, Whangaparāoa works is still at the design stage and yet to be constructed.
Auckland Transport’s (AT) unspent flood recovery funding is facing scrutiny as slips in the road corridor remain unaddressed.
AT acting chief executive Murray Burt explained that 58 per cent of the $390 million flood recovery budget had been spent so far. Burt said, “Around 90 per cent of the repairs are complete but we still do have almost 200 sites that we are progressing on and these are some of the most major and complex sites.”
With the plan for unused funding questioned, Burt responded that declaring a surplus of funds was premature at this stage. “We are always trying to achieve better, faster, cheaper outcomes but we won’t know the exact financial position till the end of the programme,” Burt said.
Council will also investigate funding solutions for slips on public land that are threatening private homes.
Council Regulatory Services director Craig Hobbs said, “Government has declined any requests to support interventions in the road reserve to date. It is a challenging situation. We are still pursuing other opportunities but they are limited,” Hobbs said.
Councillors highlighted that it is not a matter of private benefit but an issue of storm recovery with the council having a duty to address situations on public land that were threatening to cause huge damage to homes. The challenge acknowledges was the need to consider the whole of Auckland when finding a solution.
