Delays in completing stage one of the Loop Rd project has angered regular commuters like Ricki Shelford.
Photo / Tania Whyte
Delays in completing stage one of the Loop Rd project has angered regular commuters like Ricki Shelford.
Photo / Tania Whyte
A delay until spring of the first stage of Loop Rd construction just south of Whangārei is caused by sub-standard material used on a newly-laid road surface.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has apologised to road users as the safety improvement project, which holds the title of Whangārei's largest roadconstruction project, hits yet another speed bump.
But the apology was little consolation for daily commuters who pass through the roadworks to and from the city.
Stage one was pencilled in for completion in the first half of this year after the State Highway 1 Loop Rd project was resurfaced and a traffic island installed at the northern end of the site.
However, last year NZTA discovered an issue with the newly laid road surface between Lookout Hill and the Loop Rd intersection.
A section of the new road surface had failed to meet the required quality standards, meaning it needs to be resurfaced during the construction season starting in spring.
The roading contractor will bear the cost of resurfacing. NZTA wouldn't specify the cost.
"The issue was discovered when carrying out quality assurance tests after the base course layer was constructed," an NZTA spokeswoman said.
"Test results indicated the material was not up to standard and would likely lead to premature failure.
"Waka Kotahi does not anticipate the remedial work will have a significant impact on the overall project timeline, which is currently being finalised and will be shared once complete."
The NZTA apology is no consolation for daily commuters who pass through the roadworks, to and from the city.
Ricki Shelford says even getting on to SH1 from Portland Rd has become a nightmare since the Loop Rd project began.
Photo / Tania Whyte
Portland resident Ricki Shelford said the entire roadworks were dragging on for too long.
"I've lived here since the early 90s, and although we've always had congestion with odd road works there's never been such a long delay in a roading project."
Shelford said constant traffic hold-ups were a nightmare and just getting on to SH1 from Portland Rd at the best of times was a challenge.
"We've lived with it for so long but it's obviously hectic at times, especially for people with appointments in town who have to allow more travel time in case they get stuck behind traffic."
The new road surface between Lookout Hill and the Loop Rd intersection didn't help motorists, he said, as that stretch of SH1 was riddled with cones and has a reduced speed limit.
Jason Tapp, who lives on SH1 just before the Portland Rd turnoff heading south, described work on the Loop Rd construction as "pretty terrible".
"The two lanes are ending just before my home, and getting on and off the State Highway and the congestion is difficult.
"I don't think the roading engineers did a lot of thinking. The road was actually okay as it was before they stuffed everything up.
"The surface keeps falling away, the contractors don't know how to fix it...it's a pretty terrible job," Tapp said.
To keep the road usable during winter, Waka Kotahi had laid a temporary seal that will receive road markings once drier weather sets in.
The drawn-out project was first publicly consulted in 2016, with construction kicking off in March 2019. The project was to be completed, weather permitting, within 24 months.
The first stage of the Loop Rd construction has been delayed as a stretch of road needs to be re-surfaced.
Photo / Tania Whyte
In March this year, NZTA laid out its plans for the coming months and gave an estimated end date of 2025 for the project, along with the promise that there would be "minimal disruption" to traffic.
Contractors will launch stage two sometime later this year, beginning with earthworks for the new southbound lane.
The national transport agency would not say how much the project will end up costing taxpayers.
