Pub owner pours scorn on NZTA

WE'RE OPEN: Avoca Hotel publican Pat Tasker says while SH4 is closed north of the village, motorists can still get through to his pub. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 010715PUB1

The state highway past the front doors of Pat and Shelley Tasker's pub at Upokongaro may be officially closed but nearly a fortnight without regular business and it's starting to hurt.

Mr Tasker reckons the hurt is unwarranted because access to the village a few kilometres north of Wanganui city and the banks of the Whanganui River, because the road is usable.

Road closed signs have gone up across parts of the district after the floods of June 20-21, and it could be a month before both lanes of SH4 between the city and Raetihi reopen.

The "road closed" signs have gone up at Kaimatira Rd, just north of the city boundary and several kilometres before Upokongaro. But Mr Tasker said while storm damage has blocked part of the highway that doesn't happen until about 25-30km into it, and quite a few kilometres beyond his pub.

He said all he was asking for was a sign to indicate "it's business as usual" in the village so motorists can at least get to his pub.

Mr Tasker's gripe has been with NZ Transport Agency which looks after the state highway network. He contacted the agency explaining his concerns, "but I don't accept NZTA's lack of engagement and their attitude".

"We're still trading and the school is open five days a week but anything stopping traffic getting through to us is going to have a significant impact on our business," he said. The Taskers bought the hotel about two years ago and Mr Tasker said while most businesses can take a short-term hit, "if the authorities are turning people away it's a different story.

"We get a lot of people coming out from the city to our restaurant, particularly from Thursday through to Sunday, but that's dwindled right away."

He said all they wanted was signs that showed the village was "open" because it could be a month before the state highway is reopened. "If that happens, and people are turned away, then it's going to have a huge impact on our business."

David McGonigal, NZTA's regional highways manager, said SH4 was closed due to safety concerns. "There's still a lot of silt and debris on the road and we have a manned cordon in place to allow locals access to the school and Upokongaro village businesses, but for safety reasons we need to keep traffic on this section of the road to a minimum until it is cleared," Mr McGonigal told the Chronicle.

He said the agency's priority was to make sure there was emergency access along SH4. That was done and contractors were working their way up to the village, clearing the road. This is expected to be completed by the end of the week, at which point the road will open.

"There's an underslip on one section of SH4 within 500m of Upokongaro which will need to be a single lane and this will be controlled with stop/go signs.

"We know that the highway is a lifeline to local businesses and residents, and our contractors are working overtime to get the job done as quickly as possible," Mr McGonigal said.