New access road to West Coast mining town

Plans for a new $2.2 million road to Millerton township, 31km northeast of Westport, are close to being finalised.

The project will become the largest road works completed in the West Coast's Buller district for "a very long time", says Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ).

LTNZ and Solid Energy have agreed to fund the project jointly, with LTNZ providing 71 per cent of the cost.

The Buller District Council is expecting a land exchange with the Department of Conservation to be completed within a week, allowing the project to move forward.

Operations manager Steve Griffin said the new 1.8km section of road would ascend on the Seddonville side of the hill over land currently administered by the department.

Council expects the new roadway to be operational by May next year.

Mr Griffin said geo-tech engineers had assessed the existing road to be too dangerous to remain in use due to the high risk of landslides.

Sections of the roadway had already subsided and remained in danger of further collapse.

Once the new road has been completed, council will close the existing Millerton Track at Waterfall Bridge, where car parking and a viewing area is planned. All traffic will then take the new road to access Millerton and the Stockton plateau.

The road from Millerton will remain open to old mining exhibits on the Millerton walkway, not far from the township.

Mr Griffin said residents had raised no major concerns at an initial meeting.

- nzpa