RCL responsible for emergency road works

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 654, 17 September 1996, Page 3

RCL responsible for emergency road works

Ruapehu Construction Limited's roads mainte nance contract "clearly shows that all emer gency work involving immediate response is part of the scope" of the company's responsibilities. So said Ruapehu District Council' s roading asset manager Gerard Eckard in a report to the Waimarino Community Board, in response to concerns about emergency work carried out on a Crotons Road dropout. The report made nb mention of the issue of RCL carrying out repair work to a dropout that member Gary Rawnsley said was caused by RCL's own bad work practices, and so gaining the benefit of such a contract.

Repairs to a road should not be carried out by the company that caused the damage in the first place, Mr Rawnsley asserted at the board' s August meeting. He said then that he believed RCL had carried out bad road maintenance practices on Crotons Road — crowning the road when it was too narrow to do so. Water run-off had eroded the steep drop off the road which cause a drop-out. RCL then had to cut into the toe of a hill, which subsequently slipped. The board moved to receive the report, with no discussion taking place. Mr Rawnsley was not at the September meeting.