A section of Beach Road will be closed from next week until December as part of Project Reclaim.

Project Reclaim is a Waitaki District Council-funded project aiming to relocate waste from three contaminated sites in danger of slipping into the sea. 

Fulton Hogan has removed 35,000 tonnes of waste from the former Hampden Landfill and transported it to a new landfill cell in Palmerston, constructed by Waste Management.

The work in Hampden should be completed by late-August, then the focus will shift to two Beach Road sites near Awamoa Road, council solid waste manager Steve Clarke says.

Unlike Hampden, these were not municipal landfill sites, but have been identified as significant historic fly-tipping sites which pose a similar threat to the coastal environment.

Excavation work should begin at the Beach Road from late August, the closed areas and surrounding roads are signposted.

The landfill cell in Palmerston, where the Hampden waste is being moved to. Photo: supplied

Beach Road will be closed from the Old Bones Lodge to the corner just before the North Otago Golf course from next Monday (19 August). 

Awamoa Road will also be closed from 404 Awamoa Road to the Beach Road junction.

“We’re on track to cleaning up some of the mistakes of the past, keep our coastlines safe and remind people that fly-tipping can have long-term and damaging consequences for the environment,” Steve says.

The road is expected to be closed until December, although that will depend on the progress of excavation and the remediation work needed following that, he says. 

The closure points have been chosen to enable safe turning points for vehicles.

Parts of Beach Road and Awamoa Road (marked in red) will be closed from next Monday (August 19) for further rubbish removal.