125-year-old pipe unearthed

Greater Wellington’s Wainuiomata water pipe upgrade project is about to hit the road as it progresses from William Jones Park to Wainuiomata’s Main Road next week.

“We’ve already unearthed 80 metres of 125-year-old cast iron pipe, which is quite a milestone. And the old pipe is amazing – laid in 1885, it has survived and served the community through to the 21st century,” says Greater Wellington Councillor Prue Lamason.

“However if a major earthquake happened, this section of the old pipe would almost certainly break, cutting off an important water source. The new pipe, which is designed to flex rather than break, will greatly improve our community’s resilience.”

The works, which began at the southern corner of William Jones Park in early March, will extend onto Wainuiomata’s Main Road for the second half of the project. Contractors are likely to work along the road until the project ends in June.

Minor traffic delays will occur between Main Road’s intersection with Moohan Street and 83 Main Road. The contractor will maintain one lane of traffic each way along Main Road. The bus stops outside 90 Main Road and 93 Main Road will be relocated a short distance down the road for a short period of time.