The agency will come back to residents with four alternative routes by December and Mr I'Anson said it would take two to three years to construct the chosen route.
Wairarapa National MP Alastair Scott said money was not an issue, because it was about finding the right route.
One idea the agency voiced last night was buying land for a new road corridor, which would go through Woodville itself and along Woodlands Rd, rather than missing the town via Oxford Rd.
Tararua mayor Tracey Collis said there had also been discussions about a commuter train. After feedback from residents in Ashurst, NZTA said it would look at this option, because the railway ran from Woodville through to Palmerston North.
Tararua deputy mayor Allan Benbow pushed for a tunnel to be built through the gorge.
But for now the Saddle Rd is still the transport agency's main priority, with work expected to be completed within the next four days dependent on weather - a lot faster than the three-week timeframe initially announced.
Mr I'Anson said that since Saturday seven crews had been hitting the road as hard and as fast as they could.
Residents were still upset about the added costs of travelling to and from Palmerston North via the Saddle Rd and the Pahiatua track.
They said it was not good enough and demanded to be given a timeframe of how much longer this would be the main route of travel.
Julia Clarke, who has lived in Woodville for 30 years, said she just wanted a solution because she was "sick of it".
Another resident asked whether there could be a districts rate rebate but Ms Collis said this wouldn't work and suggested regional petrol prices could be lowered via a cut in road tax.
