The Western Bay of Plenty District Council has awarded a contract for further shoreline protection work at Waihi Beach to Transfield Services Limited for $1.235m.

District Mayor Ross Paterson said the six tenders received for the project ranged from $1.235m to $3.662m – reflecting the extremely competitive economic environment still facing contractors in the Bay of Plenty region.

Transfield's tender price was well below initial engineering estimates of $3.4m – a difference Ross says primarily relating to timing.

“The engineering estimates were completed in 2006, when the economic climate was far more favourable and construction costs were running at a premium,” says Ross.  “The economic landscape has certainly shifted in the last 12-18 months and this is exampled in the tender.

In addition Ross says the tender reflected Transfield’s ready access to rock from its own quarry at Waihi Beach and the use of other plant and material already in the area.

The Transfield work follows stages one and two of a coastal erosion protection programme at Waihi Beach.

The first two stages, which involved the building of ‘groynes’ (textile containers filled with five tonnes of sand) at Three Mile Creek, were completed at the end 2009.

The groynes will protect front dunes from further erosion by forcing the flow of Three Mile Creek seaward and ensure an uninterrupted flow of stormwater through the dunes.

Work on stage three – the building of a rock revetment and sand dune enhancement - is planned to start after Easter Weekend 2010.

The revetment will front properties on Shaw Road and The Loop, with dune restoration work being carried out in the vicinity of Shaw Road and Glen Isla Place.

The project is expected to take 25 weeks and be completed by the end of October, in time for the 2010/2011 summer season.