Cr Court won’t forget this
A Far North District councillor who has been lobbying for almost 30 years for a roundabout at a notorious Bay of Islands intersection says she will be eternally grateful to Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones.
Mr Jones’ first Provincial Growth Fund announcement included $9 million for a roundabout at the junction of State Highway 10 and Waipapa Rd, including extra walking and cycling paths, and a new link road to Waipapa’s commercial area.
Cr Ann Court has long campaigned for improvements to the loathed and congested intersection, informally since 1989 and seriously for the past 20 years.
When she got the news she was on her way to see a sludge treatment plant in Taupo. She turned her phone back on when the plane landed, read the message, and burst into tears.
“The poor old man beside me must have thought my aunt had died. I didn’t see it coming. This has been around for more than 30 years,” she said.
While planning and design work began last year, funding had been far from guaranteed until Mr Jones’ announcement.
“I am eternally grateful to the Minister for stepping in and recognising this project has district significance. It needed to be fixed, and could no longer afford to be in the queue,” she said.
A delighted Mandy Turner, from the Waipapa Business Association, said after so many years she still couldn’t believe the roundabout was going to be built.
“The traffic is just horrendous now. It’s dangerous,” she said.
The project will be managed by the Far North District Council and the NZ Transport Agency.