Brynderwyns closure - behind the scenes of the major road works

Narrow. Tortuous. Gruelling. Outdated. It's that notorious section of State Highway 1 that has even reasonably patient adults sympathising with the plaintive cries of their children: "Are we there yet?"

Yep, we're talking about the Brynderwyn Hills, Northland's lifeblood link with an unenviable record when it comes to major slips and closures for repairs.

Stop. Go. Stop. Go... seemingly, on repeat.

And from next Monday, another major disruption with the Brynderwyns scheduled to close for nine weeks — thankfully, with a six-day reprieve in the middle for Easter.

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) director of regional relationship Steven Mutton said earthmoving and reshaping work was critical to ensure the resilience of the Brynderwyns in the event of major weather occurrences this winter and beyond.

"It's important we do this work now because we can do it reasonably quickly and it means, in the long term, we are not going to have those long road closures that impact road users for longer," Mutton said.

"Projects like this are at their most efficient in settled weather like we are having now, as opposed to unpredictable winter conditions."

Road users should not, however, expect a major change in the alignment of the road up and over the Brynderwyns. Rather, the work will focus on cutting into the bank on the eastern side of the highway to provide space for crews and equipment to work safely clearing future slips.

The extra room is intended to allow traffic to skirt around the slip sites and avoid the need for major closures.

"We are only too aware of the economic impact that our disruption has on the area in the short term but, compared to the economic impact if we do nothing, it's the lesser of two evils," said Ashley Cooper, project director of the Brynderwyns Recovery Project.

Previous slip repair work, he said, had necessitated the closure of the highway simply because there was no room to accommodate remediation crews and traffic at the same time.

Cooper joined the project after successfully leading the construction of a new bridge on State Highway 25A on the Coromandel. The bridge opened ahead of time and under budget just before Christmas, giving the beleaguered region a major summer shot in the arm.

He said he understood the patience of the travelling public was not endless, and vowed to get the Brynderwyns project completed efficiently.

"It's all about the team. There will be some very skilled people here and the key is to make them as effective as possible."

The Brynderwyns team was "absolutely up for it",Cooper said.

During the closure, road users will have three detour options:

In Waipū, only a few kilometres north of the Brynderwyns, Paul Jensen has carved out a bustling business as the country's largest independent milk producer.

At least 80% of his product was trucked to Auckland seven days a week, and Jensen said the extra time and distance added by the detours would cost his company tens of thousands of dollars. One of the alternate routes would send his drivers 30km north, to then drive south.

"We will wear that expense ourselves," he said.

"The only way it can be passed on is an increase in the price of milk to the consumer. We know darn well from the business we do, consumers can just not stand that. They are against the wall now."

In nearby Ruakākā, Ian Newey co-ordinates a fleet of 38 logging trucks, with 20% of his company's movements travelling across the Brynderwyns.

"As a transport fleet, we are governed by time. We run log books, the drivers have only 13 hours a day and they have to be off the road. So time is money. Ultimately, we achieve less because it is taking longer to do the same job."

Newey said the planned highway work could hardly be deemed a long-term fix, and he was hoping there would soon be the political will to push through the dream solution — a four-lane bypass of the Brynderwyns.

"That's what we need to see, and it's not a want, it's a need to unlock Northland's economy."

While the latest closure was frustrating, he wouldn't be "crying foul" this time. But he warned that the transport industry had only limited tolerance and big infrastructure decisions such as a bypass were now imperative.

"That's the Holy Grail. That's what Northland deserves. It's a no-brainer."

For the immediate future, though, Newey said his hopes were pinned on favourable weather reducing the closure by a week or two.

And for the man in charge, Ashley Cooper, he has some tongue-in-cheek motivation.

"If it's under time and under budget, he might get a statue in Northland here. And he would deserve it."