Road maintenance costs soar

NEW ZEALAND – Hawke’s Bay ratepayers will almost certainly end up shouldering the cost of rising road-maintenance costs resulting from fuel-price increases.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council faces a $400,000 budget blowout after road increases in oil and fuel prices sent road-maintenance costs soaring by nearly 20 percent.

Contractors Opus International’s January 2006 monthly report revealed a sharp rise in long-term contract costs for CHB District Council, resulting in a massive budget blow-out.

“This has a likely impact of $400,000 on the total maintenance budget,” the report states.

Hawke’s Bay Today