Ashburton mayor fuming over ‘unacceptable’ delay in SH1 bridge debris cleanup
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A two-month delay in clearing flood debris from a SH1 bridge is “not acceptable”, Ashburton’s mayor says.
The debris from the July 23 floods remained next to the State Highway 1 Ashburton/Hakatere River Bridge, despite Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency stating on August 3 that the debris would be cleared “in the next fortnight”.
It’s now mid-September and Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said it’s not good enough.
“The delay is not acceptable.
“I was also told two weeks ago it would be removed within two weeks and it’s still there, so there will be a call to Waka Kotahi to please explain.”
So far the only action has been locals accessing the site to cut some of the debris into firewood.
Waka Kotahi maintenance contract manager for South Canterbury John Keenan said the work has been delayed while they wait for funding approval.
“While our highway contracting team waited for river levels to drop enough for them to gain safe access to the underside of the bridge and riverbed, an emergency works funding application was progressed, which has been approved in the last week and funded.
“The contractors should be starting the debris removal on the SH1 Ashburton River/Hakatere Bridge the in coming weeks, in conjunction with clearing the debris off the nearby rail bridges - at Hinds and Ashburton.”
The excuse didn't stand with Brown, who said the work needed to be done whether the funding was approved or not.
Debris forced the bridge to close on July 23.
“If it’s serious enough to close the bridge because of the debris building up, once the river level drops it should be serious enough to remove as fast as possible when it’s safe to do so," Brown said.
“That debris up against the piles causes risk for the stability of the bridge if another major flood comes down, so removing it as fast as they can would be beneficial to the life of the bridge.”
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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