Brynderwyns closure: Trucks banned from Millbrook Rd ‘shortcut’ after residents’ concerns

Trucks have been banned from using Millbrook Rd as a shortcut during the Brynderwyns closure.

Trucks have been temporarily banned from a road connected to a Brynderwyns detour route in Northland as calls for cooperation from road users become more urgent.

Whangārei District Council has banned heavy vehicles from using Millbrook Rd from west of the intersection of Helmsdale Rd between March 12 and September 8.

The ban includes light buses, light goods vehicles, and heavy goods vehicles including all trailer combinations and logging trucks.

It comes after the Northern Advocate reported residents’ concerns about logging trucks using Millbrook Rd as a shortcut to and from SH1 at Waipu via the Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd detour route.

Ngaire Pook, who was nearly pushed into a ditch when a logging truck came around a corner on the narrow gravel road earlier this month, said she was happy with the decision.

However, better signage was needed, she said.

“The trucks were banned yesterday, but still a number of heavy trucks were seen on [nearby] Helmsdale Rd, and they would have been heading towards Millbrook.

“If a truck goes up that way there’s no u-turning space.

“If residents see any heavy trucks we can report it to police.”

Apart from the risk associated with logging trucks sharing the narrow road with cars, residents were concerned about damage to parts of the road which are starting to underslip.

The temporary restriction is “to prevent vehicle incident” until slip repairs are completed, the council said.

“This restriction is for the purposes of protecting this critical local road access route from further damage.”

Whangārei Deputy Mayor Phil Halse said heavy trucks were “a concern”.

The matter, and the Brynderwyns detour routes in general, would be discussed at a council infrastructure meeting on Thursday, he said.

“We’re going to address it. The ban is necessary at the moment.

“It’s really frustrating, everyone’s under extreme pressure to get things right and we need the cooperation of everyone involved.”

Halse said overall, the detour routes had been working.

“We don’t want to see damage on the road. We need to make sure the road stability stays in place.”

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is three weeks into its planned 10-week closure of the Brynderwyns’ Hills which began on February 26.

Truck and trailer units have also been officially banned from the Cove Rd detour route through Mangawhai and Waipu while the Brynderwyns are closed until mid-May.

High-productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) must use SH12 and SH14 through Dargaville, and the Paparoa-Oakleigh Rd route can be used by all types of vehicles up to and including 50Max-rated trucks.

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.