“There is a large amount of base course reconstruction and resealing required.”
He said that work could be done only in the summer.
“We will work in with station owners and the sector around how we can minimise disruption.
“Obviously, forestry isn’t the only heavy operation that uses the road, but it is significant.
“I’ve long had a desire to remove as many logs from it as we possibly can.”
The number of truck and trailer units on the road increased after the closure of the Winstone Pulp International mill near Ohakune last year.
Watson told Horizons Regional Council’s regional transport committee’s December meeting that, in the past, “logging trucks were towing logging trucks” on the road, after getting bogged down on tarseal.
“They had chewed up the best part of 200 metres in one piece, right through the seal, right through base metal.
“Then they took to going overloaded during the hours of darkness, so they can be on the wrong side of the road and rely on the vision of headlights coming towards them.”
He said the log trains carried close to 1000 tonnes a day.
KiwiRail confirmed discussions were continuing about the log shipments, but “as these discussions are confidential, we cannot comment further”.
Watson told the Chronicle he hoped to update the council in early January on whether the contract would continue.
“Even with the log train running, a certain amount of forestry will continue, as it has for the last year, to use that road.
“But [rail] certainly takes the pressure off.”
In October, the Chronicle reported that the companies involved took profit cuts to subsidise the rail transport.
The council had not contributed financially to the deal, Watson said.
“Our role was one of mediating it and promoting discussions between commercial parties.”
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.
