Reopening of flood-hit gorge delayed

Plans to reopen the Manawatu Gorge to all traffic both ways have been put on hold.

Transit New Zealand now says the full reopening will not happen before the weekend.

The gorge has been closed or partially closed since the floods on February 16.

Transit regional manager Errol Christiansen said the amount of outstanding work meant it had not been possible to fully open the road yesterday.

"There is too much netting going up for it to be safely opened.

"It will be open for traffic travelling west to east - that is, from the Palmerston North end to the Woodville end - but we'll be monitoring that on a day-by-day basis, and we should have [the Gorge] open both ways by the end of the week, for sure."

The delay means westbound traffic will still have to negotiate the tortuous Pahiatua Track, dashing hopes that work could begin on straightening out the hairpin bends.

"[The partial opening] will take some of the pressure off the track, which has taken quite a pounding over the last few months," Tararua Mayor Maureen Reynolds said.

"Once the gorge opens both ways, it will allow us to get in and do some much-needed repair work on the track, which was our original plan before all this happened."

The work planned for the track includes straightening two hairpin bends, putting in passing lanes and generally widening the road.

Mrs Reynolds said the Tararua District Council would press on with its campaign to have the road classified as a state highway, so Transfund could put money into the upgrading of the track.

"We are putting in a submission to Transfund through our annual plan process. But it is still a local road at this stage, and people need to understand that."

Mrs Reynolds said she appreciated the reason for Transit's desire to retain the gorge as the major east-west route, as it was flat and therefore easier for trucks to negotiate.

"That doesn't mean the track should be ignored. It's not a question of whether the gorge will close again, but when."

- NZPA