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A major reconstruction project on the groynes at Omaha will be carried out next June/July.
The three groynes, which were built in the 1970s to counter severe erosion at the northern end of the spit, sustained serious damage in a storm in 2013.
Omaha Beach Community Inc president Peter Hooper says the delay in getting Auckland Council to recognise the urgency of the work has been frustrating, but he is pleased the project has finally been given the go-ahead.
“It is a major piece of infrastructure that is critical to Omaha Beach,” he says.
Council senior project manager Ian Murray says tenders for the work will be called in the New Year.
“We did a 40-metre section on the most vulnerable section of the main groyne last year, which went well,” Mr Murray says.
“Although the groynes are still doing their job, some of the big rocks on the outside of the walls have broken down. All you’d need is a really bad storm to cause a blowout in a critical part of the structure to undermine the system.”
Mr Murray says the project is an unusual one because of the delicate nature of the environment.
“We’ve planned the work to avoid the dotterel nesting season and the trucks will also need to work around the tides.
“Additionally, the basalt rock we need is fairly specific to the point that it could mean identifying in the tender documents exactly what quarry it has to come from.”
It’s estimated that the work could involve 500 to 800 tonnes of rock and 200-plus truck movements along the beach.
Notices advising beachgoers to avoid the area will be posted when construction starts.
The Rodney Local Board has set aside $1.7 million over three years for the project.
The groynes act as a compartments which trap the sand in sufficient volume to recreate a natural barrier between the sea and the land.
