TC3 land geotechnical investigations are completed

EQC have announced that drilling of TC3 land has now been completed. The media release (here) reads:

EQC’s geotechnical investigations into green zone Technical Category 3 (TC3) land have been completed – meaning approximately 10,500 Christchurch homes with foundation damage are a major step closer to being able to be repaired or replaced.

The geotechnical programme began in March 2012 in the city’s eastern suburbs. It was expected to be completed by March next year – but has been completed early.

The geotechnical investigations were required in order to get adequate information for foundation design. They aimed to identify or confirm soil characteristics for homes with foundation damage that are under the $100,000 (+ GST) EQC cap.

  • The drilling was done in 50-metre grids and involved drilling bore holes to take soil samples, as well as cone penetrometer testing (CPT).
  • Investigations were undertaken on 3,500 private properties, as well as roadside berms and reserves.
  • Testing was not needed on every TC3 property – just those with foundation damage.

Drilling results have been progressively loaded onto the Canterbury Geotechnical Database, which engineers are using to help them design foundations in accordance with the Ministry of Building, Innovation and Enterprise’s requirements. The database can also be used by private insurers and others undertaking foundation design and repairs.

Timeframe

  • The worst damaged homes are expected to be repaired by the end of 2013.
  • All other homes will be repaired by the end of 2015.

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