State Highway 29 disruption: What can be done on key Bay of Plenty-Waikato route?

A long-time roading campaigner and Kaimai resident has written to MPs and Western Bay of Plenty district councillors after a serious truck and car crash on State Highway 29 last month.

In a letter also made available to SunLive, Gary Benner has written to Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford, Transport Minister Simeon Brown, and district councillors Margaret Murray-Benge and Don Thwaites to highlight the “abysmal” state of SH29 and the disruptions caused by serious crashes and road closures.

“Today yet again, an accident on the Kaimai Range has disrupted the lives of so many people,” Benner said in the letter, dated July 17.

“Given the state of the road, the huge traffic use, and under-resourcing over many decades, I appreciate there are no short solutions. However, as a resident here, may I suggest the following to mitigate the massive disruption until the proper resources are allocated.”

Benner outlined four suggestions:

“When accidents occur, there is assigned a rapid response team to get the road open as quickly as possible. I appreciate the need for ambulances and others to recover, treat, and dispatch injured or deceased persons, but by then the RRT should have been able to photograph the scene with a drone to record the necessary evidence, and have removal vehicles ready and waiting to move any crashed vehicles out of the way – even if only to the side to allow traffic to flow again.”

Traffic backs up on SH29 on the Matamata side of the Kaimai Range on July 17.

He acknowledged accidents seemed to happen “at the busiest of times” and addressed how the public could be alerted and updated following a crash.

“The Nema [National Emergency Management Agency] system could be used to send mobile alerts to all in the immediate area. There are only two or three cell towers covering the Kaimais so the messages can be localised – and people living here would like to know as well, so people in cars can make informed decisions as to whether to stay/wait in their cars or turn around and return to base.”

Gary Benner has put forward four suggestions to reduce disruptions when accidents happen on State Highway 29.

Benner, who said he had worked in Civil Defence alerting since 2004, also suggested the same system could provide regular updates on when the road was likely to be cleared.

“Also communicate updates every half hour to Sunlive, who do a pretty good job anyway, and the BOP Times so they can update their websites.

“Also update the NZTA Journeys and AA Roadwatch websites half-hourly or as the situation changes – again, so people can manage their situation as appropriate.”

Traffic comes to a halt after a truck crash on SH29.

He said there could also be better management of the dynamic speed signs “which are often set to 60/80km/h on sunny clear days”.

The result was that they were not respected by drivers, he said.

“They are also all set to one speed for the whole of each side of the Kaimai Range, so some fog at the top means that people are expected to drive at 80km/h from just past Soldiers Rd for 5km in clear, sunny, dry conditions.”

Motorists experience traffic delays on SH29 following a crash in October 2020.

Benner’s fourth suggestion for mitigating disruptions was better signage at exit points.

“For almost nine years, I have been campaigning along with Margaret Murray-Benge to have better design and control at the entry and exit points to the highway over the Kaimais, e.g. Old Kaimai Rd, PoriPori Rd etc.’'

He said while reconstructing these might take some time, a simple action would be to place large signs to caution drivers approaching these intersections, warning them of vehicles stopping in the right-hand lanes waiting to turn into their respective roads.

“My own experience over the last 17 years has often been terrifying as inattentive drivers swerve at the last minute to avoid rear-ending my car. My experience is not unique, and has been shared with the whole community, and is well documented already.

“Will it take a death or two to get some action for something as simple as this?”

A Kaimai public meeting in May 2023 discussed issues with State Highway 29.

Benner also mentioned in his letter a public meeting held on May 23, 2023, where these issues were brought to light and politicians and 150 local residents attended.

“That’s actually almost everybody who lives here,” Benner said.

“The abysmal state of this road [SH29] means we have serious accidents here on almost a weekly basis.”

He said, in his view, nothing was being done to mitigate the “significant effects on people who need to use the road.”

“From disruption to business and personal reasons e.g. just today [July 17] we had a family crisis in the Waikato, and my wife was required to travel there, only to find the road closed indefinitely. Not good enough!”

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford says the Government is taking actions to keep roads safe and effective.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford has responded to Benner’s letter, acknowledging the frustrations that he “and many others in the area are facing with serious accidents occurring on an almost weekly basis”.

“We haven’t forgotten the public meeting we attended in May of last year and the frustrations we heard clearly from the local residents on the state of the road and the many safety risks that exist at present,” Rutherford said.

Emergency services attend a crash on SH29 in October 2020.

“We have included State Highway 29 as one of our 17 roads of national significance across the country, which will support economic growth and get people and freight to where they want to go, quickly and safely.

“The first seven new roads of national significance are expected to begin procurement, enabling works and construction in the next three years.

“State Highway 29 is included as one of these first seven new roads that will begin in the next three years.”

Gary Benner has been filming at the intersection hotspots, recording the difficulties experienced by residents exiting the roads onto SH29, for example the Old Kaimai Rd.

Rutherford said investments in “this essential corridor” would make it easier for New Zealanders to get where they needed to go, create a more productive and resilient transport network, drive economic growth, and unlock land for thousands of new houses.

“We are taking actions to deliver on our commitment to upgrade State Highway 29 so that this critical road is safe and reliable for Kiwis travelling through the Bay of Plenty.”

The SH29 roads of national significance project does not include the stretch of SH29 over the Kaimai Range. Work on SH29 Tauriko West will see improvements from Omanawa bridge to SH29A Barkes Corner and addresses accesses at Belk and Gargan Rds.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) director of regional relationships, David Speirs, told SunLive that SH29 over the Kaimai Range was a priority route with 14,000 vehicles, including several thousand heavy vehicles, using the road daily.

NZTA appreciated it was critical to ensure SH29 was safe and accessible for all road users.

“We are aware of community concerns with local road accesses onto SH29 and we’re awaiting outcomes of the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme, which will provide improvements to safety if funded.”

Proposed improvements to the SH29 Tauriko to the Kaimai Range summit would include minor upgrades to rural intersections including signs and markings and potential changes to speed limits at intersections.

“There are many competing priorities across the state highway network nationwide and funding will be allocated based on the highest need,” Speirs said.

“The process of a crash scene is managed and processed by NZ Police. NZTA supports NZ Police with traffic management and communication to road users through social media, Journey Manager and traffic bulletins where required.”

He said NZTA maintenance crews undertook regular inspections throughout winter and promptly addressed any defects in the road surface over the Kaimai Range.

To improve efficiency and safety, NZTA was undertaking asphalt renewals and other routine maintenance activities such as clearing drains, sign maintenance and road marking in a series of overnight closures this year.

“While disruptive in the short term, everyone benefits from a more reliable and safer route over the Kaimai Range.”

SunLive has approached Transport Minister Simeon Brown for comment.

– SunLive