Other infrastructure
In addition to roads, fresh water, wastewater, and storm water, we're rebuilding some other horizontal infrastructure that the people of Christchurch need in working order. These include, but are not limited to:
- retaining walls
- stopbanks
- bridges
- footbridges
If these features are damaged alongside a damaged roadway, they are likely to be rebuilt as part of the road rebuilding. For example, a footbridge running next to a roadway would be rebuilt as part of the road project.
We treat features like reservoirs as part of the fresh water system. We consider road bridges, footpaths, bikeways, berms, kerbs, and channels as part of the roadway, and they are rebuilt at the same time.
What exactly is this other infrastructure?
A retaining wall is a structural wall which is built to support land mass and structures. In Lyttelton, the numerous historic red brick (or red scoria rock) retaining walls were mostly built by prisoners.
Stopbanks are structures which prevent rivers, creeks, and estuaries from overflowing their banks onto nearby land. These are particularly important in urban areas to stop waterways from flooding properties. Suburbs around the Avon River in the inner Eastern suburbs are particularly reliant on effective stopbanks.
