The estimated cost of repairs for authorities across the lower South Island has already topped $3 million, and is expected to continue rising.
The figures included an estimated $1 million bill for repairs to the Dunedin City Council roading network, including damage to roads and bridges as well as slips and the cost of clearing culverts, council transport group manager Richard Saunders said.
A detailed programme of work to repair the damage was still being developed, but the DCC bill did not include the details of any damage or repairs to the city’s water infrastructure, which were not yet available.
The NZ Transport Agency said its bill stood at $1.6 million, including $1.2 million for damage to its network in Coastal Otago — including the Clutha district — and $400,000 in Central Otago, network manager Chris Harris said.
Small slips across the network have been addressed, but some "dropouts" — where the highway or land under it had collapsed — still needed repair, while areas where flooded rivers or creeks had eaten into the edges of highways or around bridges needed further investigation, he said.
Clutha District Council — which was among the hardest hit areas during the flood — was also facing a $500,000 bill for road repairs, but staff were "still counting" the cost, council chief executive Steve Hill said.
The Clutha River had been at its highest level in 20 years, causing flooding including near Balclutha Aerodrome and the Inch Clutha, while flooding had also affected Lawrence and forced almost 30 road closures in the area.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council had also been left with slips to clean up on Skippers Rd and the Crown Range Rd, a spokeswoman said.
The estimated repair bill was just $22,000, but details of any wider damage across the district were still being collated, she said.
The Maniototo was also hard-hit, with roads and schools closed and water infrastructure affected.
Staff at the Central Otago and Waitaki District Councils were not able to provide cost estimates yet.
Gore District Council infrastructure general manager Ramesh Sharma said storm had left the council with an estimated bill of about $20,000.
Contractors had been busy during the event, including clearing flooded areas and dealing with downed trees, but had been left with only "minor" damage to infrastructure.
Southland District Council reported only minor surface damage to some roads, particularly near the Mataura River, but no cost estimate was available yet.
Invercargill City Council staff said the area had been "lucky" and had avoided damage.
