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| September 2001 |
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Boring means a bit less mess
The trench-less system, using either a thrusting method or directional drilling, is the newest way of getting cables and pipes under city streets and footpaths without having to dig up the whole road. Fewer holes need to be dug in the streets when boring machines are used. They scour holes under the road surface to allow pipes and cables to be laid. The system cannot be used in all situations and so city roads and footpaths will still have to be dug up for a variety of reasons. Digging up a newly surfaced road is the last thing the Council wants to see. Residents rightly complain about such actions but every effort is taken to avoid such situations. In fact, Council staff ensure that co-ordination of work on roads and footpaths is taken whenever possible. Before most road works are started consultation is held with businesses and residents to try to meet their needs. Some street users like work to be carried out slowly with a low level of disruption while others have asked that work be carried out over the whole road at once in order to complete the work quicker. Many matters are taken into consideration before any major digging in roads starts. Digging up roads involves mostly street improvement work, putting in underground services, and renewals and repairs to the road itself or services under the road. Not all work in city roads is City Council work. For instance, TelstraSaturn is in the middle of citywide installation of communication cables. The $200 million project is due to finish in about a year's time. Not all of its work involves digging up roads or footpaths for where roads have overhead cables TelstraSaturn cables go overhead, too. This work adds to the great activity in the city as its infrastructure is improved. This is constantly being upgraded, repaired or renewed. New business and residential developments can require additional services installed soon after maintenance has been carried out. All the different work has different needs and this, at times, makes co-ordination difficult. Co-ordination is generally good among the service providers in Christchurch and the low volume of complaints to the Council is testimony to that. For instance, the Council is deferring sealing work on footpaths and roads in the north-west of the city at present so that it can be co-ordinated with TelstraSaturn work. Some surfaces used on road works in winter are temporary, as the weather is not suitable for laying the proper finished surface. So the temporary surface is often removed in spring and the final one laid. Work on city roads is big business each year. More than $50 million will be spent on road maintenance and improvements works this financial year. About 11-13km of streets are upgraded each year with new kerbs and channels, footpaths, landscaping and other enhancements. About 95km of footpaths are resealed and about 90km of roads are chip sealed or resurfaced with hot mix. Also, 7km of overhead cables are put underground, mostly in conjunction with other road works. The number of trenches dug last year totalled 577: TelstraSaturn 325 of them, then Telecom 106, Council water mains 50, Orion 41, Clear 28 and Council sewer mains 23. But improvements are constantly sought to lessen problems and complaints. For instance, a new temporary traffic control requirement allows traffic easier access through reconstructed roads. This system will make work sites safer for all road users and creates less disruption to traffic, cyclists and pedestrians during work. And also, potentially, the trench-less system of digging holes under footpaths and roads holds the key to digging up fewer of the city roads. The system is being used in various parts of the city at present. |
