A Whanganui business owner is annoyed that he was not consulted about roadworks taking place outside his front door in Heads Rd.
Work has begun on Whanganui District Council's swale (water drainage system) project designed to prevent flooding in the area that intersects Gilberd St.
Peter Robinson, who owns The Woodshack in Heads Rd, said he sees the need for some form of run-off, as the flooding was bad there last year.
His objection is that work being carried out by contractor Loaders is very disruptive to his business and others on that stretch of Heads Rd.
"It's dangerous too. Some of the big trucks are taking a detour around Gilberd St, but others are having to try and pass each other in the narrowed lanes."
Mr Robinson said the road width should be generous in an industrial area like that section of Heads Rd, and he thinks that, with allowance being made for a new cycleway as well, there will not be adequate room for road traffic.
"It will take up four metres of the road, and it is the main arterial route from the city to Castlecliff - and emergency vehicles use it," said Mr Robinson.
"Fire engines could travel down here, knowing that the road was wide enough for traffic to pull over and let them past."
Allowance has been made for the pohutukawa trees that line the road and Mr Robinson said the swale could be placed a lot closer to the tree line.
"You can chop away half the root system on pohutukawas and they happily grow back," he said.
"I just think it would have made sense for the council to consult with those of us who use the road every day while things were in the planning stage."
A council spokeswoman said the infrastructure team believed they had consulted with all the affected owners along the route.
A council staff member spoke to Mr Robinson on Friday and said the road width are still well within allowable design standards.
Mr Robinson said he is offering the driveway space in the front of his business at 420 Heads Rd as a turning bay because there are no other places along that stretch of road for vehicles to turn at the moment.