Te Puke residents angry and frustrated over delays in fixing No 1 Rd

The speed limit on the lower section of No 1 Rd is 50km/h.

Despite a plan being made for rehabilitation work on Te Puke’s No 1 Rd that should see it completed by 2026, some residents are still frustrated and sceptical.

The long-running saga of the condition of the road has seen anger expressed at public meetings, complaints at community board and ward forum meetings and letters sent to councillors

In a response to written questions received by Te Puke Times on March 8, the Western Bay of Plenty District Council stated maintenance would be undertaken to address faults in the road surface between the intersection with Te Puke Highway and number 30 No 1 Rd within six to eight weeks.

Lorna Cooper, who lives on that section of road, has spoken at several meetings, including the last two Te Puke Community Board meetings, on the impact the condition of the road, its speed and the amount of traffic has had on her home. In 2020 her late husband Colin put up a homemade sign urging traffic to slow down.

Lorna says she is considering selling her home next year, but fears the condition of the road might make that difficult.

“I’m concerned about trying to sell the place with the house shaking the way it is, there’s so much traffic going up and down that the house is shaking all the time.

“To be quite frank I’m at the point of getting some signs painted and put them up myself.”

The section of road has been repaired many times - but she says the standard of the repairs is contributing to the problem.

She says she can feel the house shake as trucks hit the uneven surface and recently noticed a crack in the wall outside.

She says the road was built as a country road but is no longer suitable for the amount of traffic it carries.

While she says it is good news something is to be done, she adds: “I’ll believe it when I see it”.

In addition to the work on the lower section of the road, the council hopes to carry out work on the section between numbers 65 and 193 starting in spring this year.

It had been hoped to start this work earlier, but several factors have caused its delay.

In the same written response, transportation director Calum McLean says the work includes pavement replacement.

“The pavement has reached the end of its life. We will remove and replace it with a new pavement. At the same time, we will widen the carriageway to make the road safer for the greater volume of traffic. Wider roads need more stormwater drainage, so we will also upgrade the stormwater system.”

He says one of the reasons for the delay has been the need to enter into agreements with landowners who will receive higher rates of stormwater.

The transition from one engineering consultant to another following the termination of the council’s One Network Maintenance Contract has also had an impact, he says.

“Council is embarking on the process of signing up new roading service providers – seeking to work closer with local suppliers and businesses to deliver high-quality roading services that meet the needs and expectations of the community.”

Work on the section between numbers 30 and 65 also involves pavement replacement.

“At the same time, we will widen the carriageway to make the road safer for the greater volume of traffic. Also, lowering of the road will be carried out to facilitate a future connection to Cannell Farm Drive.”

At present this work is scheduled to begin in spring 2025, but could be brought forward if the council is confident the works can be completed prior to the end of March 2025.

Calum says he anticipates the most likely scenario is that the works will be completed under manual traffic controls (stop/go) or automated traffic controls (temporary traffic lights) and road closures are unlikely.

The hope is the whole project will be completed by March 2026.

Resident Sarah Clumont and Tracey Wallace-Hutchins, who both live between 30 and 65, within the section that is subject to a 50km/h speed restriction, are frustrated about the length of time it has already taken for the work to be done.

“We have been advocating for the rehabilitation work on No 1 Rd for probably 10 years,” says Sarah.

She says the excuse always seems to come down to not interrupting the kiwifruit season.

“There is a huge community of people here that live on this road, we’re not anti the [kiwifruit] season and we support infrastructure being put in to support what’s going on. But generally speaking, people are sick of putting the season first all the time.”

She is also concerned about the speed of the traffic outside her home, especially since it is a school bus pick-up point.

Tracey shares the concerns, and would like to see more signage near the “S” bends in the road.

“There has never been one on the northern approach to the ‘S’ bend,” she says. “The other thing too is that I’d like to see a larger sign like there is on No 3 Rd.

“We’ve had accidents on the road and it doesn’t get any better. The surface of the road is not conducive to safety.”

There is currently a 50km/h sign at the start of the 50km/h zone and the council plans to add markings and edge marker posts to highlight the speed limit reduction.

Western Bay of Plenty District councillor Andy Wichers. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Councillor Andy Wichers has been an advocate for the work and says he will be pushing for a public meeting prior to the start of the major work in the spring.

He says the delays to the work have been a little bit frustrating.

At a public meeting held in June last year, residents claimed the condition of the road was dangerous, predicted serious accidents and expressed frustration that their long-standing concerns had not resulted in comprehensive rehabilitation.

“From my point of view, I told that meeting I would keep them up to date and I would be working to get it done,” says Andy. “I’m doing the best that I can in the situation I’ve got.”