The Invercargill Transfer Station's outgoing weighbridge is being replaced, and for the next month, getting to the tip will take a little longer than usual.
Work begins Thursday September 10 and is expected to run for about a month. The weighbridge — more than 30 years old and well past its best — is being swapped out for a newer model at the Bond St facility.
While the work is underway, all traffic in and out will share the single existing incoming weighbridge, controlled by temporary traffic lights on a one-way system. That means queues. Possibly frustrating ones, depending on how many people had the same Saturday morning idea you did.
Invercargill City Council acting group manager infrastructure Jonathan Shaw said the council was asking people to plan ahead. "We expect there may be some delays during the works, so we're asking people to plan ahead and allow a little extra time when visiting the transfer station," he said.
If your rubbish can wait, it probably should. Shaw said people were being asked to delay dropping off non-urgent waste during the works to help keep traffic moving.
There's one more thing worth knowing before you load up the ute. When leaving the transfer station, drivers will find themselves on the opposite side of the weighbridge from the payment kiosk — which means getting out of the vehicle to pay. Shaw flagged this specifically. "We ask people to take extra care when doing so and be mindful of moving traffic and uneven surfaces or other trip hazards."
So: moving trucks, uneven ground, and your wallet. Worth being switched on.
The replacement was budgeted in council's long-term plan and will cost $95,000. The incoming weighbridge was replaced last year, so this completes the set. Shaw acknowledged the disruption, if not exactly effusively. "We appreciate this may be an inconvenience for customers using the transfer station and we thank everyone for their patience while the work is underway."
If you were already planning a tip run, this weekend — before Thursday — is the obvious window.