Rapid road degradation on a section of State Highway 25 north of Waihī is forcing some drivers to use the wrong side of the road.
Locals claim both roading authority NZTA and mining giant OceanaGold are responsible for the poor state of the road.
The latter began construction of a new portal opening off Willows Road this year. Since then, NZTA have “patched it [the road] up two or three times” only for the repairs to unravel, according to local Jodie Gordon.
Gordon says trucks, some of which go to the portal, “barrel right through” the corridor. When combined with a lack of upkeep, she often “drives on the other side of the road" when she hits the straight.
"Trucks are just taking out the patching, right as you come onto the first part of the straight there where it’s rough as... I’d seen a guy out there patching it up and it must’ve lasted about a fortnight and it was out again."
“They’re just not doing it properly...it’s gonna cost more doing it that way than doing it once.”
NZTA confirmed to Local Democracy Reporting that “temporary measures to address immediate issues” are being assessed after receiving complaints.
“Options are still being considered and no decisions have been made about the type, scope, timing or cost of any further temporary repairs. We will provide more information once this work is confirmed,” a spokesperson said.
Local Democracy Reporting asked OceanaGold if any complaints about degrading the State Highway and local roads had been received or if any truck movement limits had been breached.
Communications manager Kit Wilson said the Toronto-listed company was “working constructively with NZTA” regarding road maintenance. He added a consent was granted for heavy vehicle movements along SH25 during the construction phase of the portal, which contractors and company employees operate within.
“We do acknowledge that as part of the early construction works there has been an increase in truck movements on the road associated with transporting aggregate and fill material to our Willows Road site”, Wilson said.
“The level of construction activity is expected to continue for some time, and we will continue to monitor truck movements, road conditions, and community feedback throughout the works.“
Hauraki District Council has confirmed a service request has been lodged over the condition of Willows Road, amid concerns of “possible damage linked to traffic associated with OceanaGold activity”.
Additionally, six complaints were received by council relating to activity by OceanaGold in Waihi North between January and June this year, a “low number given the scale of activity taking place” a spokesperson said.
“Our roading team is aware of the concern and is working through this with OceanaGold. Road-related works and monitoring are part of the consent requirements for local roads affected by the activity”, the spokesperson said.
“We also recognise that a small number of people have been more directly affected than the wider community.”
Wilson confirmed OceanaGold are required to restore both Willows and Baxters roads to at least the same condition pre-construction, with the council responsible for determining whether that standard has been met.
The entire process was called the “price of progress” according to local Kevin Gill, who lives right outside the Willows Road turn-off.
He said the mine is the breadwinner for the town’s economy, providing many jobs for locals and increased traffic for businesses in town.
“Wherever you live in the country, there’s always one or two that want to hold up progress,” he said.
“The biggest thing for Waihī really is the mine,” Gordon added.
“It’s not their fault the road’s crap... it’s a pretty big money maker for people around here.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air.
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