End of the road in sight for Nukumaru Station Road extension

Work is scheduled to start on the final stage of the Nukumaru Road extension project. Photo / Bevan Conley

The end of the road is now in sight for the Nukumaru Station Road extension project.

Work is set to start on the last section of the road as the final land acquisition needed for the project has been finalised, according to South Taranaki District Council (STDC) chief executive Waid Crockett.

South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon said it was a great relief to have the final stage get the green light.

"This long-awaited $10.14 million project represents a major investment in the southern part of the district which guarantees the security of access for residents and business in the event of future flooding," Nixon said.

He said $7 million of the $10.14 million project was funded by the Government's Shovel Ready project fund with the remaining money coming from the council and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency.

The new section of the road will extend from a new intersection from State Highway 3 and will be 8.1km long with a 6m wide carriageway.

The road will be vital for access, in the event of flooding, to the Waiinu Beach community of about 70 fulltime people, increasing to a maximum of 300 in the summer, Nixon said.

The road will also support the ongoing financial viability of the Waitōtara Silver Ferns Farms food processing plant, which employs 350 people at peak times, and other businesses.

Plans to build the extension started in 2015 when the Limeworks Bridge on Waiinu Beach Road was damaged by floods.

The bridge was also damaged by floods in 2004 and 2006, each time closing the only access road to Waiinu beach and the meat processors, with local farmers providing access through their land while the bridge was repaired.

A plan to extend the road submitted by the council was approved by the Environment Court in 2018.

At the time it was appealed by organic dairy farmer Diana Handley, who stood to lose private land due to the construction of the extension.

Her appeal was heard in the Environment Court.

The matter went into mediation, reducing the amount of land she would lose from 4.6ha to 2.8ha, the Chronicle has previously reported.

Work officially began on the road in June 2021.

In May this year, the council proposed to take the land needed, which was still owned by Handley, under section 23 of the Public Works Act.

According to a council notice on May 5, taking the land was necessary to provide an alternative and permanent road access for the Waiinu Beach community and to establish a safer and upgraded intersection to State Highway 3.

Handley has been contacted for comment.