A piece of Route 52 ready for sealing. Photo / Dave Murdoch
A recent trip out to Herberville Beach highlighted the huge progress being made on Route 52 to link it with Dannevirke.
The section between Weber and Wimbledon (Huarahi Tūhono) still takes careful driving thanks to the 20-plus projects being progressed in its 26-kilometre length. The sign saying 30km/h for the next 18 kilometres is deserved and drivers must allow an extra half-hour to drive it.
According to the Tararua Alliance Contract and Emergency Works manager Andrew Desmond, the work on this section was initially progressing well with the focus on making it much more resilient than ever before.
It was funded after lockdown in January 2021 as a ‘Covid-response shovel-ready’ project intended to have a positive impact on community wellbeing, improve road safety and help lift the economy of Tararua District.
Cyclone Dovi hit in February 2022 disrupting the progress and a further eight weather events (including Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle) impacted progress on Route 52 further, with significant damage occurring throughout the 26km of project length.
These storm events created an additional $6 million of damage that is now managed alongside the original project, and is being funded by the Cyclone Gabrielle Response Fund. The project is being entirely funded by central government.
After Cyclone Gabrielle, the Route 52 project became one segment of a much bigger picture, with construction resources redeployed to recovery works and planned project works effectively placed on hold during what typically is the busiest construction months of 2023.
Resources remaining on site following Cyclone Gabrielle have been occupied dealing with the aftermath of the storms and one of the wettest winters recorded in recent history.
Since October 2023, the Tararua Alliance and its subcontractors have finally been able to restart the planned project works and improved weather has enabled solid progress with Route 52, with pavement construction and surfacing restarting. This is on track to be completed by May 2024.
Desmond said Route 52 will be better than ever before, while long-term Wimbledon resident Brian Hales said, “It already is.”
Ever since the Alliance took on the project, Desmond said they have learned a lot about the soils, the water network, past road construction as well as creating new techniques to make the roads less prone to washouts, wider and straighter to accommodate the big trucks (road width expanded from 5.2km to 7.5km) and less prone to slipping by staircasing the banks.
In the lead-up to winter 2024, once the majority of project works are completed, this leaves safety improvements such as signage and guardrail installation and minor road maintenance works to be completed alongside isolated emergency works as designs are completed and recovery funding is secured.
In its wider context – from October 2023 roading recovery highlights have included the whole district and it has seen Tararua Alliance staff and contractors working on numerous recovery worksites around the district, including:
· Construction of two large retaining walls on Weber Rd and in the Wimbledon Gorge
· Road realignments on Route 52
· Clearing slips and fallen trees to make the network safe
· Cleaning water tables of silt and unblocking culverts
· Slip stabilisation with hydroseeding
· Opening of the Marainanga Gorge reconnecting Owahanga with Pongaroa
· Geotech investigations across the district
· Design for medium to high complexity projects – options reports and construction planning
· Stakeholder engagement with Horizons, iwi, regional council, district council and environmental specialists.
The focus for roading recovery works for the remainder of this financial year will be in these areas:
· Road realignments and nass walls on Route 52 sections 109 and 121
· Route 52 project (Weber to Wimbledon) – completing project scope earthworks and pavement so just signage, guardrail and reseals left to do over winter
· Route 52 project (Weber to Wimbledon) – completing designs and securing funding for isolated emergency works sites outside of the project scope.
· Matamau-Ormondville Rd road realignment
· Ormondville Te Uri Rd road realignment
· Three emergency works repair sites on Weber Rd
· Three emergency works repair sites on Pahīatua-Pongaroa Rd
· Multiple retreat sites on River and Coast Rd near the coast
· Rock revetment construction on River and Owahanga roads
· Mangaone Valley Rd
The Tararua Alliance is also advertising for more staff in key positions to manage the increased workload and is establishing a subcontractor supplier panel to streamline the outsourcing of work to suitable local contractors.
Assuming a normal warm dry summer and autumn the completion of the Huarahi Tūhono section of Route 52 will not come too soon. Businesses like the Wimbledon Tavern have struggled and gauging from the sampling of its dinner menu recently it deserves to be supported.
Dave Murdoch is a part-time photojournalist based in Dannevirke. For the last 10 years he has covered any community story telling good news about the district.