Progress on the Waka Kotahi NZTA roundabout underway at Mt Iron junction has hit a snag with the discovery that the main Chorus cable for the West Coat, which is located within the roundabout site, will need to be relocated.

NZTA senior project manager Brendon French and WSP consultant Richard Hilliard said earthworks for the roundabout are well underway, but NZTA had struck a “slight issue” with the Chorus feed.

Brendon told the Wānaka App the cable was “anticipated and known about”. 

“What wasn’t known was the scope of the work around it, that is now known and yes, it will have to be fully relocated, Chorus confirmed,” he said.

Read more: Mt Iron roundabout construction to begin in February

Work on earthworks will pause and over winter a trench will be dug for the cable to be safely  relocated.

Disruption to SH6, and the majority of roundabout construction, would not occur until after winter, the men said.

The roundabout project was initially expected to take around a year and Brendan said NZTA still anticipates completion by the end of 2023.

NZTA has hired Fulton Hogan to complete the $5M project, which will feature a 40 metre-diameter, single-lane, five leg roundabout.

The intersection has been the site of dozens of vehicle accidents since 2010 and members of the community have advocated for a roundabout to improve safety.

PHOTO: Wānaka App