One of Queenstown’s key arterial roads may not be fully reopen until next year. But Queenstown mayor John Glover says he’s been assured delays to a major wastewater pipe upgrade on Robins Rd aren’t costing ratepayers any more money. Robins Rd, which connects Man, Camp and Memorial Sts to Gorge Rd, was shut on January 12, for eight sections of pipe to be installed. The southbound lane, from Gorge Rd to Camp St, was initially expected to be open by mid-to-late April, and the entire project finished by June. But Mountain Scene reported on April 30 crews had encountered “machinery issues” and work was “running behind schedule”. Council then advised the southbound lane would reopen from August — it reopened this past Monday — “and we expect to fully reopen both lanes in September”. That won’t be happening. According to project information on the council’s website, the project’s only about half-way done, and the revised timeline for completion is now “between late November and early December”, while there “remains a risk” work could continue into early 2027. Glover tells Mountain Scene the delays are “incredibly disappointing”, and while there are many reasons — such as, according to the website, “challenging ground conditions” and “breakdowns of specialised tunnelling equipment” — “the question for QLDC should be, have those been anticipated?” He says he’s asked about financial implications to council — and ratepayers — and has been assured the contract was a confirmed price, and the delays “are borne entirely’’ by the specialist deep excavation and tunnelling contractor, HEB Construction. “But the main question has to be, in terms of that procurement, how well were the construction risks identified when the team of highly-qualified engineers working for council looked at the different models that were on the table?” Glover says elected members will need to ask for a ‘lessons learnt’ report, though believes, “from a governance oversight perspective”, that’d be a reasonable request. Meantime, he feels hugely for affected Robins Rd businesses. “It’s incredibly impactful. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s in Auckland, or Wellington, or Christchurch, or Queenstown, when this sort of work is done it has a real impact on the livelihoods of businesses … and I don’t know how we manage that.” In terms of where the project’s at, according to the council website, three sections of pipe have been completed and a fourth is “nearing completion”, but there are still four more to be installed. Because the pipes need to be installed using the “micro-tunnelling method”, “further ground or equipment issues could affect that timeline”. “There remains a risk that if larger sections of pipeline need to be installed using open trenching, work could continue into early 2027 and require additional road closures. “Additional resources have been brought in to reduce this risk, but we want to be upfront about the uncertainty that remains.” On the delays, the council says investigations were carried out before construction began. However, some areas of soft ground and gravel have proven “more difficult than expected”, and specialised equipment’s also broken down. In a social media post on Friday, council advised the newly-opened southbound lane’s expected to be in play “for at least four weeks”, and they’re “aiming” to keep it open during the September school holidays. “We recognise the length of this project and the changes to previously communicated dates have been frustrating,” the post says. “We’ll continue to provide updates as significant milestones and traffic arrangements are confirmed so the community can plan ahead where possible.” Outraged residents and ratepayers flooded the comments section — one says it’s “not bloody good enough”, and council “should be banging heads together”. “The whole community feels we are being ripped blind by contractors on these jobs. “If this was anywhere else in the world the job would have been completed months ago.” tracey.roxburgh@scene.co.nz
