Editorial: Bright idea to bring in the army

The man behind the counter of the roadside coffee kiosk was very happy to see me.

"Welcome to Woodville," he cried. He was smiling from ear to ear, a brilliant ambassador for the crossroads town on a grey and chilly Sunday morning.

"It's rather windy here," I ventured.

He laughed: "We could turn the windmills off for you. That normally fixes the problem."

I thought that was a good line so I bought a long black coffee from him. He made it well, not too much water.

Some businesses in Woodville are suffering due to the ongoing closure of the Manawatu Gorge, a situation that shows no sign of being remedied any time soon after another massive slip covered earlier reconstruction work on the road.

Traffic to and from Hawke's Bay is relying on the twisting Saddle Road that wends through the wind turbines the barista joked about.

I drove over and back on Sunday and to be honest, it is not as bad a route as some would have you believe.

But my journey was on a day when there was little in the way of commercial traffic on the road and the drive was all the easier for it. I imagine it would be a wearying drive sharing the road with large trucks which are forced to cross the centre line to negotiate some of the tight corners.

The Saddle Road is clearly not a substitute for a national highway and the surface is crumbling badly in places under the weight of thousands of heavy trucks.

And what happens if one of those trucks jack-knifes or tips?

Two access roads to Hawke's Bay would be blocked and there would be traffic chaos for hours.

Transit is looking at spending some $4 million on an urgent upgrade of the Saddle Road but Wairarapa MP John Hayes is right to voice frustration at the time it is taking to clear the gorge road. His suggestion to bring in the army is a good one. It is to be hoped the transport minister takes it seriously.