A woman who lives beside the path of the Eastern Busway says her home has suffered damage due to vibration from the ongoing use of heavy machinery.
But Auckland Transport (AT) says it’s had a professional report investigating her concerns carried out and it found there’s been no “obvious changes to the condition of her property”.
Roselyn Chand lives in a unit in Roseburn Place, Pakuranga.
Work is being carried out along Ti Rakau Drive for the busway project and part of it is happening on a site directly beside her backyard.
Chand believes the vibration from machinery used on the site has caused her roof tiles to shift, leading to water getting into the ceiling and her home.
When the Times recently visited her unit, the noise from the nearby busway work was loud and constant.
The carpet in numerous rooms inside the home, including the bedrooms of Chand and her granddaughter, were wet to the touch.
The walls were cold and damp and black mould was present on the kitchen walls.
“This is the seventh week,” Chand says. “Our roof has been damaged by the big machinery.
“It’s diggers and rollers and it’s shaking and cracking and big noise.
“Water started coming in my unit everywhere. My carpets and everything has been destroyed.
“At night even my ceiling is soaked with water the past six weeks.”
Chand says lines running up multiple walls and along the ceilings are cracks caused by the vibration of the machinery being operated nearby.
She emailed AT chief executive Dean Kimpton about the issues and he replied saying he was going on annual leave until mid-July and was referring her case to a member of the busway team.
Chand, a former public servant in Fiji, says she’s yet to hear from that staff member.
She feels no one in a position of authority is taking her concerns seriously or is willing to help rectify the issues at her home.
Chand takes daily medication for several medical issues which are not being helped by her living situation and the stress it’s causing.
At various points while talking about the state of her home and how wet and damp it is she becomes emotional.
“As soon as it started to happen I went to the Eastern Busway and the staff are not giving us any attention,” Chand says.
“We’ve been sleeping and the water is coming and [there’s] condensation. My ceiling is cracking and full of water. Even the deck, because of the impact it shifted.
“As soon as the rain comes even now … we sleep in very bad conditions.
“It’s all wet, all my blankets and everything gets wet because of the condensation.”
Chand had a master roofer inspect her roof in May 30. He provided her with a quote that says it will cost almost $30,000 to replace.
“Roof has experienced movement and therefore has displaced and broken tiles,” the quote states.
It’s “no longer feasible” to try to repair the roof and the company recommends it’s fully replaced to ensure it’s watertight.
Chand says busway staff told her the issues at her home were not caused by vibration from use of the heavy machinery.
“As soon as this big machinery came my unit started shaking and the deck in front and damaged my roof from the shaking and impact,” she says.
She says the busway sent two people to look at her roof but they were only on it for three to five minutes.
An AT spokesperson says the Eastern Busway Alliance is working closely with Chand on the issues she’s claimed.
“The team has taken its role in responding to the customer’s complaints seriously and has taken exceptional measures to explore all options for the cause of damage which she believes has been caused by the Eastern Busway project.
“The Alliance instructed a professional report be compiled showing the condition of her home before construction work started and once construction work was under way, and the report showed there had been no obvious changes to the condition of her property.
“In addition to the report, the Alliance surveyed ground settlement at her property while work was taking place which presented no obvious change and was within seasonal tolerances.”
The spokesperson says the Alliance organised for an electrician to visit Chand’s property to ensure it was safe after water was reported leaking.
“The electrician stated they could not locate any water within the electrical fittings.
“The Alliance also organised for a roofer to visit her home to find any defects that may lead to roof leaks and the roofer was unable to find any signs of defects that may cause a roof leak.
“Based on this information, we’re assured the project has not caused damage to the customer’s roof and the Alliance has taken independent, professional steps to ensure the accuracy of these findings.”
