More delays expected on coastal flood road
Delays on the flood-damaged Thames Coast Rd are set to continue with repairs expected to take three months longer than originally thought.
Motorists have faced delays with stop/go traffic control and speed restrictions at different sites on State Highway 25 after major damage during a January storm that also flooded homes.
Repairs were expected to be complete this month, however New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) says the road surface and sea protection walls were more damaged than first thought, with a further 6.7 kilometres of sea wall needing to be strengthened.
Additional teams from Higgins are being brought in to speed up the reconstruction work.
Transport Agency systems manager Karen Boyt said NZTA appreciated that the delay was frustrating for locals and travellers.
‘‘However we need to ensure that we do this important strengthening work, so that SH25 can better withstand future storm events,’’ she said. Repairs are expected to be finished in June.
As work will be completed during winter, a temporary seal may be laid which will require a permanent seal to be put down next summer.
Thames Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie said she didn’t mind it taking another three months to complete repairs.
‘‘If they say there’s [work] there they want to do to make sure the road’s really resilient, we want that to happen,’’ she said. ‘‘I don’t mind it taking time as long as the five-tonners [trucks] can go up the road.’’
The restriction on northbound heavy trucks between Te Puru and Manaia to prevent any further damage to the road is expected to be lifted this week.
Goudie said NZTA had been doing a ‘‘tremendous’’ job with the repairs and feedback from users of the road had been positive.
However, she will be pushing for NZTA to do more substantial works in the next funding round, including reclamation works and road widening.
‘‘The road’s too much of a lifeline, we don’t have an alternative,’’ she said.
Diverting traffic around the eastern seaboard during Thames Coast Rd closures was a ‘‘massive cost’’ to residents in fuel and wear and tear, she said.