Residents in Te Manuao Road, County Road and a stretch of the old highway between them will be in for months of road works as pipes are laid for the new reservoir.

A schedule for the works has not been released, but reservoir construction is due to begin later this year and take about 18 months. The four kilometres of pipes will likely be laid in the same timeframe. The pipes will be laid under the roads.

One pipe will take water from the County Road pump station up to the reservoir in a subdivision at 71 Te Manuao Road. Another will gravity feed back to the pump station.

A third pipe will run from the reservoir into Pohatu Lane off Te Manuao Road to an overflow that will link into the stormwater network.

Te Manuao Road especially has endured significant disruption with the expressway build. Trucks regularly brought gravel from Waitohu Quarry and the road had increased traffic when Rāhui Road was closed to build the new bridge over the expressway.