Waitomo District Council’s (WDC) final year of a three year footpath improvement programme is underway which will see $600k invested across the District over the next 12 months.

The programme focuses on improving access to high priority pedestrian areas that connect with hospitals, schools and businesses, by renewing existing footpaths that are in poor condition, adding new paths as well as widening those that don’t meet the 1.5m standard.

Tony Hale, GM infrastructure services says “We know it’s important our community can safely use the footpath network to easily access the locations that are important to them. When putting the programme together we’ve taken that into account as well as NZTA requirements, footpath condition and community feedback which forms part of our town concept plans.”

This year’s programme will see over 1km of footpath replaced and added in Te Kuiti, Mokau and Waitomo village.

The work will be completed by Inframax Construction on behalf of WDC.

“With the support of NZTA, our local communities are benefiting from some much-needed investment in the district's footpath network,” says Hale.

Work is currently under way in Te Kuiti which will see new footpaths constructed outside the high school and three new bus stop shelters installed, replacing the one existing.  Footpaths will also be improved and widened, and a new retaining wall constructed on Eketone Street.

“This work improves access and safety to both the hospital and Te Kuiti High School which were two key areas identified in our planning.”

To date the programme has replaced 2.2km of footpaths and 900m has been added.  WDC delivers 49km of footpaths in the Te Kuiti, Mokau, Piopio, Maniaiti/Benneydale, Waitomo Villlage and Marokopa communities.