News & Media Releases
Cambridge Bypass Designers Investigate the Past
28 August 2007
An archaeologist previously employed by the United Nations to exhume mass graves in Bosnia is now working on a much more pleasant project in Cambridge.
This time, instead of helping to convict war criminals, the evidence Chris Mallows is unearthing is helping Transit New Zealand evaluate historical sites near the State Highway 1 Cambridge Bypass route.
A number of archaeological sites are close to the Cambridge Bypass route, and Mr Mallows is working with Transit to determine their exact extent and significance. He is also on the hunt to pinpoint the exact location of a nearby buried pa site.
Transit has contracted Opus International Consultants, who employ Mr Mallows, to examine the area using non-intrusive specialist techniques called Ground Penetrating Radar and Electromagnetic Investigation. This technology will effectively enable Mr Mallows to x-ray the ground and see what is buried underneath it without even lifting a trowel.
Transit regional manager, Chris Allen says Transit’s major objective is to evaluate the precise importance and size of nearby cultural and historical sites, and their possible constraints on design.
Mr Allen says, “Part of the design process that is currently underway for the Cambridge Bypass is to identify any geo-technical or archaeological factors that we need to consider in the design. In order to meet current highway safety design and environmental standards we may be required to adjust the width of the existing designation, so we need to closely examine the extent of the nearby archaeological features to determine our possible options. Transit is consulting with local iwi, Waipa District Council and the Historical Places Trust about these historical sites.”
In conjunction with the archaeological surveys, Transit is forging forward with the geo-technical investigation of the proposed bypass route. A helicopter was used to fly a drilling rig into the Karapiro Stream earlier this month to enable engineers to examine the soil in the Karapiro Stream Gully. The gully is one of the most challenging parts of the project, being around 45m deep and 200m wide with very steep slopes.
Mr Allen says, “The results of the archaeological surveys and geotechnical investigations will be used to assess options for the final design of the bypass.”
Transit will initiate communication with the general public about the proposed Cambridge Bypass design when the archaeological investigations are completed.
For more information please contact:
Chris Allen
Regional Manager
Transit New Zealand
07 903 5104 / 027 292 8072
Or
Julie Hannam
Communications Advisor
Transit New Zealand
Hamilton Regional Office
07 903 5146 / 027 294 2649
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