The work on Main Road Stoke has now been completed, with the new culvert installed and the headwall complete.

It is worth noting that Saxton Stream will not go through the new culvert until the works are complete. A diversion pipe is in place to bypass the culvert works.

This Phase A work came to an end with night closures on Main Road Stoke, so that the road could be resurfaced and line marked. This was rather challenging with the variable weather we have been having, but the team at Downer managed to spot a break in the rain and get this work done. While fences and bollards still remain in place for cycle lanes and shared paths, the road has returned to its 60km/hr speed limit.

The final series of work on Phase A included the pouring of the intake slab pour of the headwall (where Saxton Creek will enter the culvert under Main Road Stoke).

The crane has been demobilized from Main Road Stoke and moved to start work on Phase B (Whakatu Drive end up to Main Rd, Stoke).

How do fish navigate major works?

Like drivers and cyclists, fish have to contend with these major works too.

To help them on their way (and to make sure water goes where it needs to) a diversion pipe was installed. This allows fish to travel up and down the stream while the work is being completed.

As part of this work, a fish salvage and transfer were conducted with the objective to remove and transfer a known population of large eels. Fish caught were transported to a trout hatchery liberation unit and released into the Waimea River.