Waipawa’s cyclone-damaged Harker St reopened

CHB District Deputy Mayor Kelly Annand, Waipawa Primary School principal Paul Jamieson and pupils cutting the ribbon to reopen Harker St in Waipawa.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has reopened Harker St — a connection to State Highway 2 for the Waipawa community — after it was destroyed during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Deputy Mayor Kelly Annand said, “Our Waipawa community made it very clear that the reopening of this road was a priority.

“It’s awesome to see Harker St open again, which we were able to make happen with external funding, ticking off another vital piece of work from the recovery plan,” Kelly said.

The street had been closed since the cyclone hit in February last year. Funding for the repairs was the major barrier to completing the repairs, with the finishing touches done on Monday morning.

The rail overbridge and steel structure that protects the bridge were extensively damaged in the cyclone, with the repair of the road and the bridge protection work being funded through the Government’s Better Off Funding.

Members of the community and Waipawa Primary School joined the deputy mayor and councillors at the ribbon cutting and celebrated with a barbecue to mark the reopening

Harker St is a link for businesses, sports clubs, the holiday park and a second access point for Waipawa Primary School. The project included raising a pedestrian crossing on the street by the primary school that slows road traffic and improves safety for the school community.

The 3pm rush outside the school will be a calmer, more enjoyable experience, Waipawa Primary School principal Paul Jamieson said.

“The bottom line is these improvements make it safer for our kids. This project means that people won’t drop into second gear and speed up as they go past the school, just to get into town faster,” Jamieson said.

“It might take a few seconds longer to get into town, but that’s better than the alternative of what could happen to our kids.”