Stratford mayor Neil Volzke (right). Photo / Ilona Hanne
By ILONA HANNE Sealing this bit of road would enable more people to travel along it and enjoy the beauty of the area.STRATFORD MAYOR NEIL VOLZKE
When Stratford mayor Neil Volzke was invited on a SH43 road trip with several New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) officials, he says he jumped at the opportunity to discuss his concerns regarding some ongoing roading issues.
"NZTA officials invited myself, and Stratford District Council roading manager Steve Bowden, to come with them as they drove State Highway 43 to look at the general condition of the road and the progress on the repairs to the slips caused by the June 2015 storm event."
Neil says he was pleased NZTA had invited him and Steve to join them, "this shows they are interested in understanding our concerns".
Driving from Stratford, Neil says the group stopped along the way at a number of slip sites undergoing major repairs following the 2015 floods, and looked at the progress being made.
"NZTA have said in the past that all slips from the 2015 storm event will be repaired by the end of June this year, and on the trip they said they were still on schedule to achieve that, which is great news for road users, as these slips have been a cause of real concern for all who drive along the route regularly."
Neil says as well as looking at work on slips, the group also looked at the overall road condition.
"We discussed the lack of maintenance including water tabling, culvert cleaning, site barriers and other issues along that stretch of highway."
In particular, Neil says he was also pleased to further discuss the possibility of sealing the remaining unsealed 12km of State Highway 43 through the Tangarakau Gorge.
"The Government has stated a desire to attract visitors into the regions and in my opinion, sealing this stretch of highway would help with that. Currently most rental car companies instruct drivers to not travel on unsealed roads, and here we have a road which is a heritage trail that, because it is unsealed, is off limits to many tourists or visitors. Sealing this bit of road would enable more people to travel along it and enjoy the beauty of the area."
Neil says he feels the road trip was productive, saying he is grateful to NZTA for giving him and Steve the opportunity to expand on the range of concerns they had been raising with NZTA over the last 12 months.
"We had plenty of good discussion throughout the trip, and it certainly wasn't difficult to find examples of the issues we had raised concerns about. I look forward to seeing an improvement in the service levels on the highway and am encouraged by the conversations we had on the day."
Before the NZTA group left the region, Neil also took them on a shorter road trip along SH3. "We drove along Broadway and up to Flint Rd and back, as I wanted to bring their attention to the poor condition of the road surface, including the temporary repairs on the numerous potholes which occur along this stretch. The state of the road seal is simply not what you would expect to see on a busy state highway leading into a town, so it was a good opportunity to show NZTA exactly what we are talking about."