Full Feasibility Study Report - Far North District Council

MAINTENANCE
There will be ongoing track maintenance after the initial track clearing, formation and development.
It will be necessary to carry out annual weed spraying of the track surface and preventative
measures to ensure the eradication of noxious and nuisance weeds such as gorse and broom. These
types of plants may begin to encroach on the track from adjacent land. The intensity of effort
required will diminish with time and existing infestations come under control.
After storm conditions, there will be a need to make storm repairs to both the track surface and the
clearing of any debris left on the track from broken tree branches or fallen trees. Track wash outs,
scouring or surface damage will require repair or redressing to provide a suitable surface again.
As the formed track begins to ‘bed down’ from cyclist use, there will be areas that need to be
addressed due to soft conditions, drainage issues or settlement. Short lengths of patch metalling of
these areas will be required to reinstate the track to the desired surface.
Fences, gates, cattle‐stops and signage will also require maintenance effort with age, weather, stock,
vehicle and vandalism damage.
It is very difficult to place an accurate costing against this, as it is an unknown quantity, but a
provisional value per kilometre is included for this purpose, based on experience elsewhere.
Based on around 80km of cycle trail (71.8km), we recommend a figure of $120,000 per annum be
set aside for track maintenance. This covers all regular inspections, toilet cleaning, rubbish removal,
weed control, sign maintenance and maintenance of the cycleway surface.
In terms of maintenance of bridges and structures, we recommend a figure of $15,000 (note
different amount to engineer’s report) be set aside for maintenance and inspections of bridges and
structures. The cyclic renewal cost of bridges should be set aside at round $10,000 (note different
amount to engineers report) per annum.
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