Reopening of State Highway 4 between Wanganui and Raetihi has brought some relief for Shelley and Pat Tasker, owners of the Avoca Hotel north of thecity.
Slips and washouts closed the highway from the weekend of June 20-21 and the "road closed" signs were finally removed on Monday, 30 days later.
The state highway runs past the front doors of the Taskers pub at Upokongaro and for nearly a fortnight without regular business things were starting to hurt, according to Mr Tasker.
The problem was SH4 was passable for about 15km beyond their pub but with traffic being stopped just north of the city boundary it meant customers never got as far as the village.
Initially Mr Tasker's beef was with the NZ Transport Agency which is responsible for state highways. He contacted the agency explaining his concerns but said he was not impressed with "NZTA's lack of engagement and their attitude".