Problem Queenstown culvert in government spending plan

The taxpayer and the ratepayer are set to split the $2.1 million bill to replace a problem culvert half an hour's drive from Queenstown.

When the government this week announced its $32.9 billion land transport spending plan for the next three years, a project on the Queenstown to Glenorchy road was given its own bullet point.

Residents have since contacted Crux for help to pinpoint exactly where the investment will be targeted, at a spot labeled 'Shepherds Hut Creek' in the Otago-Southland section of the national plan.

The location of Shepherds Hut Creek (Image: Supplied/QLDC).

It is confusing - a quick Google search throws up more than one location with that name or similar. There is a Shepherds Hut Creek that feeds into the Manuherikia River in Central Otago, and a Shepherd Creek Hut in the Eyre Mountains out the back of Athol.

But rest assured, the government may sit up in Wellington, but they have got the location right.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council, responsible for the roading upgrade project, has confirmed "Shepherds Creek culvert" is located approximately 36 kilometres along Glenorchy-Queenstown Road.

The culvert has not coped well during several recent storms, including in 2018 and again in 2022, when the road was closed due to flooding and debris at the site, requiring significant clean-up work.

A spokesperson for the Queenstown Lakes District Council says the council applied for funding to replace the existing culvert with a more resilient solution, like a single span bridge.

"With funding confirmed, we’ll now proceed with further scoping to explore the best options before developing a detailed design with refined cost estimates," they say.

For now, the project budget is approximately $2.1 million with NZTA contributing 51 percent as per its standard rate for projects like this.

The spokesperson says securing the funding "is a win for the district" given the significant constraints within NZTA's 2024 to 2027 funding allocation.

"It reflects the government’s focus on resilience and will help protect a key local route for the Glenorchy community and local businesses."

As reflected in the council's draft Long Term Plan, to be signed off in the coming weeks, design work for the project is anticipated to begin in year two of the ten year plan and construction work in year three.

Main images (Supplied/QLDC): Left, the existing culvert planned for replacement; right, flooding and debris at the location in 2022.