The total cost of the project is estimated to be $10.5 million, with the council required to fund $1.8m from loans and $1.8m from depreciation reserves. The New Zealand Transport Agency will fund the remaining $6.9m.
Route 52 lacks pavement strength and width to safely hand the large, heavy vehicles now using it and the long, winding and narrow road is quickly deteriorating as a result of increasing traffic.
"There are a hell of a lot of logging trucks on the road and it's a credit to drivers that there hasn't been an accident," Shaun Morgans said.
"We need that road repaired and functional or people will use Waipukurau as their service centre, rather than Dannevirke. That's happening now. "
Deputy mayor Allan Benbow asked Horizons Regional Council policy adviser Barry Gilliland if the regional council would consider a cohesive effort on Route 52 given the increase in logging and tourism.
"I would like to think we would consider any option," Gilliland said.
"Let's talk about it at a land transport committee meeting. I would love to think anything is on the table."
Dannevirke's Noel Galloway said on average $750,000 a year was collected in road user charges from logging trucks and this should be redirected from Government to the council for Route 52.
And Tararua Federated Farmers also recommended the council apply a differential to the roading rate, with forestry specific rating units contributing an additional amount, perhaps twice that of urban and rural ratepayers.
The way forward:
• 41 submissions were received on the future of Route 52.
• 24 preferred the option to upgrade a 25km section, subject to securing finance from the NZTA.
• 12 submissions supported Option 2, to fund the deserved improvements over the next 10 years from existing budgets.
• Five supported Option 3, to upgrade a 49km section between Weber junction and the Central Hawke's Bay boundary over three years.