The $655,000 upgrade and replacement of the ageing handrails at St Clair Esplanade will be under way soon.
The almost 500m-long balustrade at the top of the St Clair esplanade sea wall will be replaced with a polished, high-grade stainless steel version in stages over the next few months.
Dunedin City Council group manager transport Jeanine Benson said there were sections where the existing railing had corroded, posing a potential hazard.
Work was scheduled to begin next month beside the St Clair Surf Lifesaving Clubrooms ramp and progress in sections of about 30m at a time, reaching the St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool before the end of the year.
The new sections of balustrade would be prefabricated off-site to keep any work at the esplanade to a minimum.
A small amount of protective scaffolding will be placed along the top of the seawall beside each section being swapped out.
The edge scaffolding will only be in place at each section as it is replaced, and will be moved along the sea wall as the work progresses. It will either be clamped in place or fixed to the edge capping of the seawall, and there will be no closures of the esplanade while the work is carried out. Footpath and road access will be maintained at all times.
The design of the balustrades and framing will remain the same, although be increased in height to reflect regulation updates. The wooden handrails will be re-finished and reused as much as possible; otherwise sustainably sourced Kwila hardwood will be used to replace any wood that has deteriorated beyond repair.
At this stage there was no plan to upgrade the Esplanade itself, but there might be an opportunity for remedial work to amenities like benches and bins, a council spokesman said.
— Allied Media