‘We could have done better’: $400k for road damage
Jenner Rd suffered “double that damage in half the time” from the eBus in September last year, just one month after the service began. Photo: Kate Russell.
Nelson City Council has approved $400,000 to fix roads that have been damaged by the eBuses before the onset of winter, including almost $60,000 for the plagued Jenner Rd.
In a report to a full council meeting on Friday, group infrastructure manager Alec Louverdis admitted that they had “missed a trick” in terms of ascertaining whether the steep and narrow road in Toi Toi could handle the buses.
“I think this is one of those cases where we could have done better,” he told councillors. “We thought we’d be okay, but we weren’t okay… we didn’t anticipate the damage.”
The eBus service launched in August 2023. Just one month later, parts of Jenner Rd were starting to crumble under the 18-tonne buses that were traversing up and down the road 48 times per day.
Alec says the route was introduced to “meet the needs of the community” and acknowledged that they found out “very early on” that it was not going to hold up to the buses.
“Mainly because it was narrow enough for the bus to use the same wheel tracks and that caused double the damage in half the time.”
The permanent repairs on the road were completed last week, following temporary repairs.
The full cost of fixing the road was $59,000.
Road defects have also been reported on seven sections of Main Rd Stoke which will cost $70,000 to fix, Tresillian Ave, the intersection of Princes Dr and Washington Rd, and a bus stop on Collingwood St.
Alec says many of the areas where they are experiencing damage are routes that are utilised by heavy trucks, as well as the eBuses.
“I think the combination in certain locations has caused particular damage - it isn’t a result specifically because of the bus.”
Alec says the council had increased the renewals budget in anticipation of a need to do more work on the roads as part of the Long Term Plan.