Shannon’s back in business
Roadworks have led to six lean months in town
Shannon came back to life this week. Many motorists had bypassed the Horowhenua township in the last six months as roadworks further south had diverted northbound traffic in a different direction.
It was easier for drivers to stick to SH1 on their journey further north — bypassing Shannon — rather than link up with SH57 and Shannon businesses had felt the pinch as less traffic meant less custom.
Shannon Four Square owner Corey MacMillan said it was a tough six months for everybody and he couldn’t be happier to have the link road open again.
“It’s a big relief to be firing on all cylinders again,” he said.
“It felt like hibernation. It was a bit of a double whammy, coming at the same time as that latest wave of Covid-19.”
A number of Shannon businesses, like the Streetwise coffee cart, the petrol station, cafes, clothing stores and a restaurant, had all reported suffering a drop in earnings.
Horseman Cafe owner Alan Windle said the bypass had an “absolutely chronic” effect on business.
Over the last six months Windle had gone on a media offensive to raise awareness of their plight with newspaper, television and radio interviews. He said the detour was almost business-ending.
“Everyone took a massive hit. The floodgates were shut. We’ve been marooned,” he said.
“And the worst of it was we weren’t notified until it was happening and never got time to prepare.”
It came as Covid-19 was restricting travel and food prices were rising, not to mention roadworks further north affecting traffic travelling south. The cafe was forced to cut staff hours and open for longer.
This week, however, it was bustling again for the first time since the detour was put in place. It was a hive of activity, with a clink of plates and teaspoons stirring.
“Now we are open again it’s like ‘hallelujah’, and just in time for the long weekend too,” he said.
MacMillan said one good thing to come from the ordeal was it had brought business owners together as a collective.
Now we are open again it’s like, ‘hallelujah’.
Alan Windle, Owner of Horseman Cafe
“We all know each other now, and have communicated through social media, so it would be good to keep the group going and build on that,” he said.
There had been a collective consciousness within the Shannon community to buy local and support their town while traffic numbers were down.
MacMillan said he wanted to show his appreciation by giving away tickets to upcoming All Blacks and New Zealand Māori games against the touring Ireland side to a couple of lucky customers.
“It’s a bit of a ‘welcome back’ promotion,” he said.
Meanwhile, further south in Levin, residents of Speldhurst Country Estate on Kimberley Rd had welcomed safety improvements as the previously narrow road had led to near accidents for residents and visitors entering and exiting the estate.
“There had been a number of near-misses. Our main concern is speed and passing, and we’re still waiting to see what the speed limit will be,” said Speldhurst residents association chairman Neville Turnbull.
Residents had received letters last week from Waka Kotahi notifying them of the reopening of both lanes, and with information about future work.
Roadworks would continue on the shoulders of Kimberley Rd and Arapaepae Rd with road signs installed, driveways sealed and letterboxes put back.
Work on SH57 between Queen St and Heatherlea East Rd was due to start in the spring, although both lanes of the highway would remain open for the duration of that work.
Work on the roundabout at the Queen St-SH57 intersection was ongoing and would change soon to focus on the north and west areas of the roundabout.
The Waka Kotahi letter thanked residents for their patience and acknowledged that the detour had been an inconvenience.