Lam said since the roadworks began, “truckies” and “delivery people” couldn’t get to his store to pick up their breakfast.
“Hopefully from tomorrow onwards, we will get our business back,” Lam said.
At the Ford Rd and Malfroy Rd detour point on Monday afternoon, traffic management workers were shot at with a BB gun from a passing vehicle, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency Bay of Plenty and Waikato director of regional relationships David Speirs said.
“The same vehicle went through the site again [on Tuesday] morning and its occupants yelled abuse and threats at our stop/go workers,” Speirs said.
“This behaviour is disgraceful. While there were fortunately no physical injuries, the incidents have been very traumatising for the workers affected.”
Waka Kotahi said in a statement today: “Detailed planning combined with fine weather and favourable ground conditions has seen the work completed three days early.”
“Everyone working on this project made it a priority to complete the works as quickly as possible, with day and night shifts taking place over the past two weeks.
“Our contactors Fulton Hogan and BECA did an awesome job,” Waka Kotahi’s Frankie Evans said.
“We knew congestion would worsen with schools back this week, which is why additional traffic management was put in place on the local detour routes to ensure traffic could flow as well as possible.
“Unfortunately, this had to be discontinued following two disgraceful incidents of threatening and abusive behaviour from members of the public. These incidents have been very traumatising for the workers affected.
“We’d like to thank NZ Police for their prompt investigation of these serious incidents, and [for] providing support throughout these works,” Evans said.
