Waihau Bay Road open soon

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Waihau Road is open to residents and may soon open to the public.

Gisborne District Council acting director of community lifelines Dave Hadfield, reporting to the operations committee yesterday, said the washout repair was almost complete.

The road was only open to residents to allow them to arrange septic tank cleaning, to review their water tank supplies, inspect properties, and to move stock off the land.

The council was waiting for a final engineering report to ensure everything was safe.

“By the end of November, we plan to remove any restrictions and open the road to the public.”

Replying to a question from Councillor Larry Foster about freedom camping in Waihau Bay, council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said the public would be notified if camping was to be permitted.

Work has begun on repairing East Coast Road.

In other roading information, Mr Hadfield reported there could be significant disruption in the city as 30 streets are planned for chip seal replacement.

Some work might be carried out at night to reduce disruption.

Major reconstruction work is planned for Bushmere Road, Domain Road at Ormond, Seddon Crescent and Wharekopae Road from the Waipaoa roundabout past the Patutahi Golf Club.