Residents prepare ahead of SH1 road closure
Truck noise on detour route an ‘absolute nightmare’ for nearby homes "It’s not manned, there’s no policing of it, in the middle of the night you hear their brakes, and their gear shifts. We couldn’t sleep. It’s 24/7." Russell Miller
Jenny Ling
Northland residents living on a “nightmare” Brynderwyns detour route are getting set to leave and reconfigure their homes to cope with the onslaught of traffic, including constant trucks thundering by.
During the 10-week closure of SH1 over the Brynderwyn Hills that begins at midnight on Sunday, truck and trailer units have been banned from the Waipū and Mangawhai detour, which is reserved for light vehicles only.
But i t’ s the contentious Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd route that has residents at their wit’s end, as trucks and truck and trailer units up to 50 tonnes are allowed on that 32km stretch of road, which is also a suggested route f or l i ght vehicles.
Russell and Melanie Miller, who live in Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd, said the last time the Brynderwyns were closed for several weeks, following Cyclone Gabrielle, it was “an absolute nightmare”.
From 2.30am onwards, huge trucks including logging and container trucks could be heard using their engine brakes down the hill into the village, they said.
The couple had to move their bedroom to the other end of the house “to get away from the noise and craziness”.
“We went to stay with friends in Auckland when it got too much,” Russell said.
“It was an absolute nightmare because trucks wouldn’t obey the regulations.
“It’s not manned, there’s no policing of it, in the middle of the night you hear their brakes, and their gear shifts. We couldn’t sleep. It’s 24/7.”
Though heavy vehicles under 50 tonnes could travel on the Oakleigh-Paparoa Rd last time, residents and travellers vented their frustration at the sight of fully laden logging trucks, milk tankers, and stock trucks using the route to get to and from Whangārei.
The Millers said there was a crash at the end of their driveway where an elderly woman tried to overtake a truck, “ripping the whole side of her car”.
All freight and commercial vehicles should have to take the SH14 and SH12 detour through Dargaville, they said.
“If they separate the two it would be a lot safer,” Melanie said.
“If it were cars only, I would be fine with that . . . it’s the trucks.
“We don’t want to move away, but we probably will.”
Last time, the Brynderwyns were closed either partially or fully from February until midApril.
The present work is to fix storm damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe storms, and will take place until May 12, opening for six days over Easter.
High-productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) must use SH12 and SH14 through Dargaville, which is also the suggested detour route for all heavy vehicles, but that adds at least an hour to drivers’ trips.
Fellow Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd resident Ryan Smith, who works from home, said he hoped this time authorities would enforce the 50-tonne truck limit.
The last Brynderwyns closure