NZ Transport Agency Napier Regional Office

26 June 2009

New SH35 route to keep East Coast connected

The NZ Transport Agency's SH35 Goldsmith’s Hill Realignment north of Ruatoria will be blessed and opened to traffic in a ceremony tomorrow.

The new alignment bypasses a stretch of road vulnerable to closure from slips and flooding. One such closure cut the community off for several days in August last year.

While the new stretch of road is just one kilometre long, it means a world of difference for local people and industries which rely on State Highway 35 to connect the East Coast to Gisborne.

The NZ Transport Agency’s Regional Director Jenny Chetwynd says the approximately $3.5m project is a remarkable achievement made possible by the support of the local community.

“When Ruatoria was cut off for an entire week last year, it had a big impact on the people of Ruatoria and on the truckies and motorists who rely on this route. It was crucial that we put in place a comprehensive solution to secure the highway network before the worst of winter arrived this year.

“This piece of road has been troubled by slips and closures for a long time and we're delighted to have a permanent solution in place.

“To plan, approve and build a project of this size in such an isolated area in less than a year is almost unheard of, and we couldn’t have done it without the locals and landowners getting right behind us.”

“Our consultants and contractors deserve a big pat on the back for getting so much done in such a short amount of time.”

Ms Chetwynd says the ongoing support of Rea Profitt and Terrence Kawhiti, the trustees of the Maori-owned land the project is built on, has made the project possible.

“In allowing us to fasttrack this project, they have put the interests of the community first,” says Ms Chetwynd.

The project bypasses the existing route that was closed for an entire week last August due to severe subsidence caused by heavy rain.

The new alignment will remain unsealed until after winter to allow the new road to bed down, but it will provide a safer, more secure route than the stretch of road it replaces.

>From time to time, traffic will be diverted onto the old route to allow work to continue. Ms Chetwynd says that while the new alignment has been opened to traffic, the project is not yet finished and work will continue until early summer.

ENDS

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