Road resealing impacts small Whanganui section of Mountains to Sea cycleway

Contractors are resealing a stretch of Whanganui's Papaiti Rd. Photo / Bevan Conley

Resealing and culvert replacement on Papaiti Rd has made a small change to the alignment of a long-awaited section of the Mountains to Sea Cycleway.

As well as resealing 300m of road, contractors are upgrading drains and culverts, a Whanganui District Council spokeswoman said. A section of cycleway at a dip in the road was destroyed in the process and will be reinstated before the upgrade is finished.

The new piece would be further from the road, which would make it safer, she said. The cycle and walking track is closed in the meantime.

The section of cycleway nearest the abutment for the new Upokongaro Bridge is also unfinished. The bridge was to have been installed by April, but was held up by needing a fresh resource consent and because the council did not consult with everyone it needed to.

The spokeswoman said there were still a few things to line up before council could confirm a launch date for it. She hoped to have some communication out before too long.

A Papaiti resident said she was fed up with delays in road repairs and the hold-up with the bridge. She was also annoyed people were dumping rubbish in the area.

"People dump rubbish here on an almost daily basis. There is masses of green waste being dumped, broken appliances and even dead animals."

The council wanted to impose heavier fines, she said, but they could take preventive measures like putting a fence up to prevent access.