Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty, Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis, Tararua Alliance director David Geary and Provincial Development Unit principal regional adviser Catriona McKay turn the first sod.
Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty, Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis, Tararua Alliance director David Geary and Provincial Development Unit principal regional adviser Catriona McKay turn the first sod.
A ground-breaking ceremony at Wimbledon on Tuesday was a major milestone for Tararua District.
It marked the beginning of a three-year project, officially named Huarahi Tūhono - Weber to Wimbledon, that will see long-overdue improvements to the road, made possible through $14.6 million from the Provincial Growth Fund.
Planning has been under way since funding was announced in August and work will begin on January 6.
Provincial Development Unit principal regional adviser Catriona McKay hands the contract for the redevelopment of Route 52 to Tararua District Council chief executive Bryan Nicholson.
In opening the ceremony Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis said she well remembered the cheer that went up in the council chamber when the funding was approved.
"It really was a magic moment and is something that has been on the council's radar for a long time.
"This is a project started in a new way for Tararua District Council. Firstly we have a project name, decided by council, iwi and the community. It is Huarahi Tūhono - Weber to Wimbledon, which translates to the road that connects Weber to Wimbledon.
"We have a project board, a contract manager and a dedicated commitment to communication."
Collis welcomed Wimbledon residents Trudi Riddell and Shaun Morgans to the project board. Their role is to head community liaison.
"This project will improve the safety of our road, the wellbeing of our people and our economy."
Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty speaks at the ground-breaking ceremony at Wimbledon.
Photos / Sue Emeny
Collis thanked Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty for his support for the project and former councillor Jim Crispin who had championed the cause for many years.
McAnulty said for a long time Tararua District had been overlooked and ignored and it was through the hard work of the council and officials working with the Government that had ensured the district was no longer overlooked.
"It was never fair to impose the cost of the upkeep of Route 52 on the Tararua District Council."
He said the district had the fourth-longest roading network in the country and a small base of ratepayers.
"I look forward to the day when the many 'Uneven Road' signs on Route 52 are taken down."
Council chief financial officer Raj Suppiah spoke of the social outcomes from improvements to the road.
"Our entire roading budget for the district is between $13m and $14m. So to put it into perspective the $14m finding we have received is a life-saver for us. It means we can give the community what it wants."
Suppiah said what excited him most about the project was not just the improved road but how else the council could give back to the community in terms of getting people involved and to help lift the recovery of the district.
"We want to see people back on their feet and getting jobs. That's our challenge now."
Tararua Alliance director David Geary outlined the physical outcomes of the project.
Among these were updating bridges and looking at structural shortcomings, strengthening road surfaces and looking at safety aspects.
"We will be looking at corners, we're already taking out roadside trees to improve visibility, and we will be looking at widening curves.
"We will look at the narrow stretches of roads, we've had trucks clipping wing mirrors, and we will be looking at consistency. We don't want people driving through to Hawke's Bay saying 'the road is rough, we must be in Tararua'."
The work will be divided into six sections.
Tararua Alliance contract manager Andrew Desmond said the first work to be carried out will be on section three of the project which will improve the Franklin Rd intersection, as this site was already under design for this year's road maintenance programme.
