Isaac Theatre Royal survives

Last updated 14:59 01/04/2011

 

Christchurch's historic Isaac Theatre Royal survived the February quake but will be closed until October 31.

"The building, although moderately damaged, has performed extremely well in an event much greater than any strengthening was designed for", general manager Neil Cox said. 

Extensive earthquake strengthening was completed in 1999 to much higher specifications than required at that time.

"The goodwill and support we have received from the wider global entertainment world towards our city, our people and our theatre has been astounding."

Cox said contrary to various rumours, the theatre's ornate painted dome is still intact and located "exactly where it was intended to be".

"There is a lot of work to do, there is no escaping that, but ... for the third time in her history, she will get a reprieve from the wrecker's ball."

New bus routes needed

DAVID WILLIAMS

Last updated 10:04 01/04/2011

 

Christchurch's bus network will take at least a month to adapt to earthquake-enforced traffic changes.

Parts of the city are in gridlock, with traffic queues on some routes three times longer than usual as commuters avoid the cordoned central city to drive to temporary workplaces in the suburbs.

However, the city's bus network is mainly geared for travel from the suburbs into the city, while most people are now travelling from one suburb to another.

The Environment Canterbury (ECan) commissioner responsible for public transport, Rex Williams, said it would be at least another month before there was sufficient "stability" in demand for buses for route planning to be done.

He said traffic patterns had been unpredictable, especially straight after the February 22 quake, when schools and universities were closed and many businesses were seeking alternative premises.

"It has been quite difficult," he said. "It's important to keep people in the habit of using the buses."

Transport planners and engineers from ECan, the city council and NZTA have discussed possible adjustments.

ECan transport programme manager Rob Woods, who led last Friday's meeting, said many workplaces had shifted to industrial areas and business parks in Riccarton, Addington, Middleton, Redwood and near the airport.

Buses restarted on March 3 and were free until Monday.

Eleven routes are still not running and "three or four" routes will not restart "in the foreseeable future" because of extensive road damage, a report to yesterday's ECan meeting said.

Williams said patronage to March 28 had been half the expected numbers.

Bus services have been limited in the eastern suburbs, particularly Dallington, Burwood, Avondale, Aranui, Queenspark, Southshore, Bromley and Woolston. There are no services to some hill suburbs, such as Huntsbury, St Andrews Hill and Mt Pleasant. Two terminals have been set up in Bealey and Hagley avenues for buses going into the city.

Rubble to go to new landfill

NICOLE MATHEWSON

Last updated 05:00 01/04/2011

 

Millions of tonnes of rubble from the February 22 earthquake will be sent to a new landfill within Bottle Lake Forest Park.

The Christchurch City Council at its extraordinary meeting yesterday decided to establish the Burwood Resource Recovery Park to sort, process and recycle 4.25 million tonnes of rubble and 380,000 tonnes of silt from the quake.

Immediately after the quake, Civil Defence allowed rubble to be taken to the former Burwood landfill and three other parts of Bottle Lake Forest Park.

Once the national state of emergency ended, getting resource consent for the landfill could take up to a year under normal measures, and a delay was not acceptable, a council report said.

About half the rubble is expected to come from the demolition of 600 buildings within the central city, 1.5 million tonnes from the demolition and repair of about 8000 homes across the city and 750,000 tonnes from damaged infrastructure, including roads and pipes.

One section of the park would be used for storing "sensitive" material, such as rubble from buildings where people had died, Cr Sally Buck, chairwoman of the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee, said.

"It needs to be treated differently from normal rubble."

The site would not become a permanent landfill but would be used to store quake rubble until other uses were found for the material. It was expected to operate for five years.

Silt would be used to rehabilitate the land after the recovery park closed.

Silt removed from the sewerage system was being treated separately.

The council said the Bottle Lake site was chosen because it was only eight kilometres from the central city and close to badly damaged eastern suburbs, and would not pose any risk to aquifers supplying the city with drinking water.

Buck said the resource recovery park would allow material to be recycled instead of being sent to the Kate Valley landfill in North Canterbury.

Up to 1500 trucks are expected to travel to the park each day during the first six months.

The park will cover one-eighth of the 845-hectare Bottle Lake Forest, leaving the rest of the park open for recreational users.

Missing your wheelbarrow or shovel?

Last updated 17:07 01/04/2011

 

Wheelbarrows and shovels used by the Student Volunteer Army are set to be reunited with their rightful owners.

Canterbury University's army will be reuniting borrowed garden tools, used to clean up tonnes of silt, with their owners tomorrow morning.

Army founder Sam Johnson said he wanted to apologise to anyone who had their equipment "borrowed" and not yet returned.

"The incredible demand for wheelbarrows and shovels meant that many personal items have been separated from their rightful owners," he said.

"The SVA are committed to doing a good job right to the very end and don't want to leave you without your property."

Members of the army will be based at the university student association's tent in the UCSA car park, off Ilam Rd, between 9am and 12pm tomorrow.

People can also drop-off any equipment left on their property by the army.

East hit hard by sewerage failures

BEN HEATHER

Last updated 05:00 01/04/2011

 

A map of Christchurch's earthquake-hit sewerage system shows almost the entire eastern half of the city is suffering from "low" service, and large pockets have no waste connection.

The map, obtained by The Press, shows the areas with no sewerage include parts of Bexley, Southshore, Avonside, Dallington, Burwood, Avondale, North New Brighton, Wainoni, Woolston and Charleston.

Christchurch City Council water and waste unit manager Mark Christison said there was a "strategy of attack" for repairing the sewerage system. However, he would not comment on area priority.

"If you want me to say that some suburbs are going to take precedence over others, I'm not going to say that," he said. However, areas where the sewerage system was hit hardest in September's quake, such as Bexley and Avonside, were again in the worst state and would probably take the longest to repair, he said.

Work would continue in all areas but resources would be focused on "slow" pipes that could be fully restored quickly before more attention was given to areas with no sewerage, he said.

"We are trying to restore as much of the city's resources as fast as we can." The first task was to flush silt out of all pipes, which was expected to take up to four months, before assessing the damage and beginning repairs.

Flushing out the silt could be difficult in areas that had liquefaction because it could create an underground void, potentially collapsing roads. The sewerage map was subject to change.

http://static2.stuff.co.nz/files/Seweragefacilities.pdf

Rockfall threats to be alleviated

Last updated 13:04 01/04/2011

 

Work is currently underway to secure or remove dangerous boulders threatening Wakefield Avenue in Sumner.

One-way traffic access will operate to Paisley and Duncan Streets from Wakefield Avenue while the work is carried out over the next two to three weeks.

Further work to remove or secure dangerous boulders is planned above houses along Wakefield Avenue, south of Duncan St, over the next three to six months. 

Geotechnical engineers have also identified dangerous boulders above Heberden Avenue, Sumnervale Drive and Evans Pass Rd. 

Work to secure Evans Pass Rd as a critical transport route has already been completed, while work to secure other areas will begin within the next month. 

Residents in all affected areas have been advised of the work, Civil Defence said.

Those with concerns about rockfalls or landslides should call the Christchurch City Council on 03 941 8999.

Police from around country still helping out in city

GILES BROWN

Last updated 05:00 01/04/2011

 

Hundreds of police from around New Zealand will be sent to Christchurch for tours of duty so local officers can get back to their normal business.

Officers from all 11 police districts are working two-week rotations, patrolling Christchurch 24 hours a day as part of Operation Earthquake. The operation is headed by Superintendent Andy McGregor, usually national manager for communication centres based in Wellington.

Suicides, fraud, mental health-related crime and family violence could increase as the city fought to recover, he said.

"There's a lot of stress and a lot of fear and frustration out there now, and a lot of people who need a lot of help," he said.

"Money is short and things are pretty tight."

McGregor said it was vital that Canterbury officers returned to their normal duties while the 160 Operation Earthquake officers dealt with cordons and put extra patrols in the suburbs. It could be six months before they withdrew entirely, he said.

"Canterbury will be at a stage where they will be able to include the extra reassurance patrols, because I believe that will keep going for quite a while."

Cordons would slowly be reduced to an inner zone "where we can't do much more, but those buildings have to be demolished".

"We will then put a solid cordon around the red zone, which will basically then be a demolition and construction zone," he said. "We will employ private security guards to patrol that cordon."

The main job was patrolling suburbs to reassure residents during the day and defusing drunken crime at night as people crowded suburban bars.

"During the day it's about pressing the flesh," McGregor said. "As you go into the evenings, it's around visiting licensed premises for alcohol-related offences."