Dannevirke: More money needed to fix Saddle Rd

The site of the slip which closed the state highway through the Manawatu Gorge for a week. On Sunday traffic was flowing smoothly through the one-way section.

With at least another 18 months to go before the $4.5million upgrade of the Saddle Rd is complete, the Tararua District Council is putting together an application for more funding for the road, a vital link between the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay.

"The New Zealand Transport Agency's regional transport office is working with us on this application because two projects on the road have been deferred as they don't fit into the $4.5million envelope," Blair King, the Tararua District Council's chief executive, said.

Tararua Mayor Roly Ellis said he's had a chat with mayors in the region who believe the Saddle Rd is an important link in the roading network and should be treated very
seriously by those in government.

Motorists make their way over the Saddle Rd which is undergoing a $4.5 million upgrade.

"We've asked Simon Bridges, the Minister of Transport, to come and have a look," Mr Ellis said. "We expect the Saddle Rd to be sorted out and we're forever hopeful."

Meanwhile, Tararua District Council member David Roberts has said he's concerned the Saddle Rd was starting to deteriorate already, as some of the new seal on the lower sections didn't stand up to the increased traffic when the Manawatu Gorge road was closed.

Mr King said the original construction (by Stringfellows) was all right.

"But the original seal wasn't good under heavy loads," he said. "We would have liked to seal the section properly before traffic went over it, but unfortunately, it was quite fresh [when it became a detour route] and a lot of trucks and traffic went over the road."

The NZ Transport Agency is fully funding the Saddle Rd work, which is being managed by the Tararua District Council.

The three-year project began after the 15-month closure of the Manawatu Gorge as a result of a slip in August 2011 and involves widening the road, improving drainage and adding additional passing areas.

Work on the Saddle Rd began last year and Mr King said if the latest slip had occurred just a few weeks later crews would have been in a better position to cope with the higher traffic on the alternate route.

A few weeks on, the major deviation on the road would have been cut through, with a metal base put down and if heavy truck traffic had been able to travel over that it would have helped to compact the material. However, timing wasn't on the side of the contractors.

Local roads are also causing concern for the council and it's Tararua Alliance roading team, with Mr King in discussion with Chris Edsall, the Alliance manager following an initial "drive-over" of the district's roads. "Scoring of the roads was too narrow and they've now been given a wider grading range," he said. The grading range indicates where money should be spent and Mr King said Route 52 to Pongaroa and the Weber to Wimbledon Rd both drop down the [priority] scale because of a lower traffic count.

Councillor Roberts asked if Mr Edsall and his team thought the roads had become worse.

"There was no direct answer," Mr King said.

However, Mr Ellis said Mr Edsall's eyes had been opened to the state of Route 52 and the Weber to Wimbledon Rd.

And Councillor Shirley Hull has concerns about the upgrade of earthquake-damaged Pa Valley Rd at Alfredton.

"Have we run out of money because only half the road is tarsealed?" she asked.

Mr King said he would investigate the reason.