A community information session will be held on July 25 for Bowentown residents to be affected by a six-month council project to upgrade stormwater and roading on Seaford Rd.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council said it would undertake road renewal work and stormwater and drainage systems upgrades from September.

The work would be done from the Plom Rd/Pio Rd roundabout through to the Seaforth Rd South Recreation Reserve to strengthen the critical arterial route and reduce the need for future repairs, council said in a statement.

It predicted the work would begin this September and finish in June 2027, with construction to pause during the peak holiday period from Christmas to Waitangi weekend.

The council said the work was part of its wider road renewal programme for urban-rural routes across the district.

Minimise disruption

“We know stormwater management in the Bowentown/Pio Shores area is a concern for many in the community,” the council’s director of water services Coral-Lee Ertel said.

“Doing both sets of work simultaneously means we can strengthen the road and minimise future disruption by putting in place the stormwater and drainage infrastructure now.

“The new systems will be able to support future planned network upgrades aimed at improving how water is managed during heavy rain – it means we won’t need to dig up the new road when further network upgrades are rolled out,” Ertel said.

The contractor for the project was J Swap Contractors and work would follow a staged construction timeline, she said.

The council’s senior project engineer for transportation works, Jamie Minchington, said the project would involve shaping of the western road berm to form a shallow swale, new stormwater collection points and piping, new kerb and channel and outlets, excavating and rebuilding the road structure in layers, rebuilding accessways and underlying culverts, laying new chipseal and applying road markings.

“We’ve also taken care to ensure the row of trees between the slip lanes and main road will not be removed ... The slip roads will remain in the same arrangement as they are currently, and the centreline will remain in the same location,” Minchington said.

During the project people could expect single-lane stop/go traffic management, delays, construction vehicles and work crews operating throughout the day, and periods of noise and vibration, particularly during excavation.

Plan ahead

Vehicle access for Seaforth Rd residents would be maintained where possible in daytime using temporary ramps. Temporary driveway closures would be required at times when driveways were rebuilt, and J Swap would be in contact with impacted residents before work that directly affected access began.

“We’re advising the community to please plan ahead and allow extra travel time while the works are ongoing,” Minchington said.

“We recognise that road works are disruptive, and we’ll make sure residents, businesses and schools are kept in the loop as the works progress.

“We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to deliver these important upgrades to the road and stormwater network for the long-term benefit of the community.”.

Information session

A community information session will be held on July 25 from 2.30pm-4pm, at the Waihī Beach Bowentown Boating and Fishing Club on Pio Rd, where the council’s road and stormwater engineers and J Swap’s construction team would be present to explain the work, discuss traffic impacts and answer questions.