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Contractors prepare equipment for overnight repair at Jervois Quay, Wellington.
Wellington Water crews made a temporary repair to a century-old stormwater pipeline below Wellington’s Jervois Quay last night after a sinkhole appeared Wednesday afternoon.
Travelers were previously warned to expect significant delays Thursday morning. The road is reduced to one lane for rush hour traffic, at a reduced speed of 30 km / h at the repair site.
A team of about a dozen workers were on the scene Wednesday afternoon, along with a pump truck designed to clean grease traps and septic tanks.
A hole about 12 inches long appeared in the road, a Wellington Water spokesman said.
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The 450mm diameter pipeline, made of mud and laid in the 1900s, traveled under the pier, filling and emptying with the tide.
Over time, a hole in the pipe was thought to have allowed the water to gradually erode and wash the subsoil, causing the surrounding soil to collapse.
Ross Giblin / Stuff
Workers assess the sinkhole at Jervois Quay Wednesday afternoon.
Working under the lights, the contractors placed a temporary cap over the hole in the pipe Wednesday night, filled in the hole and resealed the road.
A complete repair would now be planned in such a way as to minimize risks to people, the environment and traffic.
The hole is located directly above a storm drain and some gas mains, but it is believed that there are no potable water or sewage pipes in the area.
The latest in Wellington’s water problems came after a week of dramatic pipe failures.
On January 25, a “very serious” sewage pipe ruptured, blocking traffic and forcing residents of the central city to avoid flushing for two days.
This was followed by the explosion of a main drinking water pipe a couple of days later in the Aro Valley, which saw a torrential source of water fly 20 meters into the air, flooding the street.
