Cleanup works to Putoetoe Walkway

21 July - Update on Putoetoe Walkway – Raglan 

Waikato District Council undertook immediate work on the Putoetoe Walkway when the fibre issue became apparent and worked closely with our contractor and designer to understand why polypropylene fibres became dislodged during the application of shotcrete. While we thoroughly explored possible causes, no clear reason has been identified to date. Council is satisfied that all reasonable steps have been taken to determine what occurred. We reiterate that this was unexpected and uncommon, and despite our efforts, the exact cause remains unclear. 

We acknowledge and appreciate the community bringing this to our attention. Council responded swiftly, with the contractor on site the next working day to inspect the seawall and begin clean-up. Since then, our contractor has: 

• Collected fibres dislodged from the seawall by hand 

• Monitored the waterline and Ngarunui Beach for any loose fibres 

• Burned back any fibres not laying flush with the seawall to ensure they are melted into the surface and cannot dislodge 
  

No further works are planned at this time. The project is covered by a standard 12-month defects liability period following practical completion, and Council will follow the usual process during this time. 

3 July - Cleanup Works to Putoetoe Walkway

After being alerted to plastic fibres coming out of a newly upgraded seawall in Raglan over Matariki weekend, council acted swiftly to remedy the situation and mitigate it happening again. 

The reason the 50mm polypropylene fibres become dislodged despite being set in concrete is under investigation, but it’s not immediately apparent – it’s highly unusual for this to happen. Several fibres were found in the environment, including near Wi Neera Street opposite the Police Station and on Ngaranui Beach.  

Since last Friday (27 June), we have completed several remedial actions. This follows actions that were taken during the week (from Monday 23 June) where specialist crews responded and monitored the situation daily. This included manually scrubbing the seawall and removing dislodged fibres.   

We have conducted three sweeps of Ngarunui Beach with Council staff and contractors. On the first sweep, on Friday 27 June, we found five fibres on the beach. We did another sweep on Monday 30 June and on Tuesday 1 July and no further fibres were found. 

We will continue to monitor the beach, including the surrounding areas near the walkway, as scheduled Council open spaces management of Raglan.  

Yesterday, contractors burnt back the loose fibres coming out of the concrete on the seawall, melting it into the concrete. This will ensure they can’t become dislodged again and enter the environment.  

Further cosmetic work to the walkway is scheduled – standard on any construction project – such as smoothing out concrete under the balustrade. We will need to close the walkway to complete this. The date for this is TBC but will be after the school holidays.  

These remedial works, including burning back the fibres, are included in the captured works under the current project, meaning there is no further cost to the ratepayer, or to Council. Read more.