O’Reilly said while there had been “frustration expressed by some citizens of the broader Hawke’s Bay community” at traffic congestion, that paled in comparison with those who had been displaced by the cyclone.
“Some continue to be traumatised daily. In my view being stuck in a traffic jam hardly counts. I respect that people in Napier and Hastings, otherwise unaffected by the flooding, may feel stranded and dislocated from schools and work and so forth.
“However, they cannot assume that their present annoyances and difficulties should be solved by visiting upon the residents of Waiohiki continuous weekday traffic from approximately 6am to 10am and then again from 4pm until 6pm.”
He said alternatives could include a multiple-lane bridge at Brookfields.
“This would then enable traffic off Pakowhai Rd to have easy and direct access to Napier city and the eastern and southern suburbs.
“Similarly, a flyover bridge coming off Links Rd to the foot of Otatara would resolve the terrible traffic jam at the intersection with State Highway 50.
“Returning to what we had previously is not an option.”
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council chairwoman Hinewai Ormsby, whose own home and that of other whānau were hit in the calamity, said it was a suggestion not seriously taken up, but it highlighted how some people are thinking.
Waka Kotahi has not yet commented on the options, but among them are four-laning the expressway. That would include a parallel bridge over the Tutaekuri near Taradale to double the number of lanes to two each bridge — old and new. .
A temporary two-way structure is nearing completion on the Redclyffe Bridge and is likely to have speed and weight restrictions and night-time closures, although it is not presented as being a permanent answer.
At the eastern extreme, the Waitangi Bridge, has an extended life, albeit monitored 24/7 to assess its safety and security, 14 years after an August 2009 announcement flagging its replacement in a $214 million, three-year land transport investment.
The shape of a resilient roading network for the future on the Heretaunga Plains — most specifically the Napier-Hastings link broken in half by the collapse of two of its four bridges in Cyclone Gabrielle — will start to emerge over the next few weeks.
On Tuesday, Minister for Cyclone Recovery Grant Robertson will make an announcement regarding the East Coast Recovery Alliance formed between highways management agency Waka Kotahi, KiwiRail, and contractors Downer, Fulton Hogan and Higgins to establish a design and construction management team to work on the long-term answers.
Waka Kotahi says “initial draft programmes” for recovery work will be considered by Cabinet later this month.
“Following this, details including specific solutions, funding and timeframes will be shared with the community,” the agency told Hawke’s Bay Today in response to queries about the options that exist with the network.
It comes amid some public confusion with the Expressway bottleneck bridge over the Tutaekuri near Taradale and SH51 Waitangi Bridge between Napier and Clive being owned by Waka Kotahi, while the Redclyffe (Waiohiki) bridge and Brookfields Bridge (between Pakowhai and Meeanee), which both dropped spans into the river in February, being local council responsibilities.
Waka Kotahi said in the context of the recovery, its role is to restore access, particularly to isolated communities, as quickly as possible, while planning for the long-term recovery and rebuild.
While councils are responsible for the management of local roads (including Redclyffe and Brookfields bridges), the cost is shared with Waka Kotahi, on behalf of the Government.
A total of 16 Hastings District Council bridges were destroyed and 26 others badly damaged.
The road and bridging link reinstatement costs are ball-parked at about $800m, with hundreds of millions of dollars of other costs for recovery.
