Community pledges towards the rebuild of Moeraki's Haven St mean the project should be completed with much more significant drainage works than initially planned.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said yesterday initial work on drainage should begin in about a month, with an excavation down to the hard clay before drainage pipes or rock - or both - were placed to drain as much of the slip area as possible.
''We will then see how effective that is before making final decisions on how we will rebuild the road - its width, alignment, etc,'' Mr Kircher said.
Initial plans by the Waitaki District Council were to rebuild Haven St as a single-lane gravel road with minimal drainage at a cost of about $100,000.
Mr Kircher said pledges, including financial support, use of equipment and an ''offer of services'' as an onsite project manager, could extend the project budget to as much as $200,000.
''We are able to look at more comprehensive drainage, which will improve the chances of a rebuild lasting longer.
The more water we can divert, the better chance of success,'' he said.
The project will be overseen by a Waitaki District Council engineer.
Mr Kircher said questions had been asked about the need for community contributions.
''The answer is that because an alternate route has been provided with work done on Tenby St, getting the usual NZTA funding to reinstate Haven St was not possible,'' he said.
