Great turnout at Thames public meeting

A group of about 60 people came to a public roading forum to discuss roading issues around the Coromandel Peninsula. The meeting was chaired by our Mayor Sandra Goudie, with representatives from New Zealand Transport Agency (who manage our State Highways), Regional Council and central government representatives.

"There was a genuine concern at the condition of the State Highways on both the east and west coasts of the Coromandel and what can be done to make improvements to minimise traffic disruption in the future," says Mayor Sandra. "I'm looking at holding regular public roading forums, if there is support for it, as it's an extremely effective way of hearing from our communities about what they are experiencing while driving these roads."

NZTA indicated that there has been approximately 11 road closures compared to 1 or 2 in previous years. As well as discussing long-term issues at the forum, there were also people who highlighted more immediate roading repairs that needed attention, which NZTA noted.

Karen Boyt, NZTA Waikato System Manager, spoke about the emergency programme of work currently underway, resilience work to be completed by June 2018 and an increase in budget for the road maintenance over the next three years.

"We heard many suggestions where the state highways can be improved and we heard how passionate the community is about better access," says Ms Boyt. "We’ll use this information to inform the Coromandel Peninsula resilience and maintenance programmes that are currently being planned. We'll also use this feedback in our long-term planning with the Thames-Coromandel District Council and other potential project partners to improve the state highways on the Coromandel Peninsula," she says.

"Thank you to those people who alerted us to recent road issues we were unaware of - such as the tomo (hole in the ground) near the bridge in Waiomu, and a fallen tree that could potentially have ended up in the culvert north of Tararu. We've looked at the issues and will address them. At the Waiomu Bridge, a hole has developed near the footpath as a result of a known issue at the bridge abutment which was under design for repair. The footpath has now been closed until further investigations have been completed," says Ms Boyt.

NZTA urge if you do see any issues as you travel around the route, please help us get to them more quickly by reporting them by calling 0800 4HIGHWAYS or by email info@nzta.govt.nz.

"Providing as accurate information as you can about the location is enormously helpful to us," says Ms Boyt.

Good progress on emergency works

NZTA are well into their emergency programme of works to SH25 and SH25A with the first retaining wall at Pumpkin Hill due to finish next week.

The culvert replacement at Colenso is still expected to begin over the coming weeks.

Finishing touches will be made to the completed projects at Diehard Creek and Kereta Hill. Line marking at both sites and hydroseeding (spraying a mixture of seed and mulch) at Kereta Hill will finalise the work at these sites.

Second Pumpkin Hill retaining wall underway

Work on the last of the two retaining walls at Pumpkin Hill commenced this week. Construction on the first retaining wall at Pumpkin Hill is progressing well and we expect to be able to finish it next week.

The two Pumpkin Hill sites are relatively close together so construction could start quickly on the second wall, as equipment was easily moved between the two sites. NZTA say yhis is a great outcome to enable faster delivery of their programme.

Resilience work

NZTA's resilience projects to reduce the risk of further rock falls or slips on SH25 and SH25A are being investigated and designed. They are going to notify the public as soon as more information is available. These projects will take place around the Coromandel Peninsula over the next year to June 2018:

• SH25A near Kopu, retaining wall

• Boundary Creek, rock protection wall

• Kereta Hill, retaining wall (section 2)

• Whangapoua Hill, retaining walls at two sites

• Kuaotunu Hill, retaining walls at two sites

For more information on the SH25/SH25A Thames-Coromandel project, contact us coromandel@nzta.govt.nz or see www.nzta.govt.nz/thames-coromandel.

Takatakahia Bridge repairs

Take care at the Takatakahia Bridge on SH25A as repairs started this week to stabilise a slip at the bridge. The road is down to one lane with traffic management in place.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of September, if weather permits. Traffic management will be in place until the repairs are finished, so please drive carefully.

Northern Coromandel Loop motorcycle safety improvements

Construction began this week to install a range of treatments aimed at improving motorcycle safety on the Northern Coromandel Loop.

It’s part of a multi-agency project called Safer Rides, and builds on the work undertaken in 2014 on the Southern Coromandel Loop.

The $2.5 million safety improvements project is expected to be completed by mid-December. Improvements to the road and roadsides will improve motorcycle safety in three areas:

1. Helping to keep riders on their bikes with improved road surfaces, signs before sharp corners and sealing rural entranceways to prevent loose gravel going onto the road.

2. Creating a more forgiving environment by improving drainage features and installing motorcyclist friendly barriers to help make crashes survivable.

3. Getting injured riders access to medical treatment as quickly as possible via new rescue helicopter landing areas.

Completed already is the painting of line markings and wide-edged lines to help guide motorcyclists around deceptive corners.

There’s been good feedback from the trial of these initiatives on the Southern Coromandel Loop. Check out www.nzta.govt.nz/coromandelloop for more about motorcyclist safety in the Coromandel.

The partners involved in the safety project are: NZ Transport Agency, Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council, NZ Police, motorcycling user groups, Emergency Services, the Thames-Coromandel District Council, Hauraki District Council and the Waikato Regional Council.

Remember to check for road updates

We encourage you to check NZTA's website before you travel for the latest information about road closures or work underway. You can also use their journey-planning website www.onthemove.govt.nz to plan the best route for your journey, taking into account known issues and traffic on state highways.

"We are committed to making sure our state highways are safe and communities and businesses are connected. We know that road closures are frustrating. With recent high levels of rainfall on the Coromandel Peninsula the ground is saturated, so heavy rain brings the likelihood of further slips. It is therefore important to drive to the conditions at a speed that is safe," says NZTA.

Follow NZTA Facebook and Twitter for further updates.

You can also call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) to speak to the call centre team who can provide traffic and travel information.

MetService severe weather warnings can be found here.

Any updates on the status of our Council's local roads will be posted on our website, Facebook page and via our email newsletters.

ENDS

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