Tough roading decisions ahead of Gisborne District Council

A dropout at Waimata Road in 2023. The high cost of continually repairing dropouts could lead to more one-lane roads, Gisborne’s Civil Defence emergency management committee has been told. Photo / Paul Rickard

Gisborne motorists may have more one-lane roads in the future as Gisborne District Council faces “hard-nose decisions” in anticipation of reduced government funding.

Council director of community lifelines Tim Barry told the Civil Defence emergency management committee on Wednesday there were indications of reduced funding, which would impact on decisions regarding Gisborne’s roading network.

The council could reduce the level of service and having more one-lane roads was such an example, he said.

Staff could seriously consider not repairing dropouts to the same level as before because of the risk of it happening again. Some dropouts easily cost into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix each time.

“It is time for the council to make some hard-nose decisions,” he said.

Barry said the council wanted to be the “best corridor repair operators in the country - we have to be”.

The network had to be strengthened.

The three ways to improve the situation were by getting better, reducing the level of service, and asking for more money.

“The third one looks like it’s giving us pretty bad vibes.”

Programme recovery director Rod Sheridan said work on the road network had benefitted from four weeks of good autumn weather.

“But we’ve gone from a dust issue to it’s too wet now.”

The next step was to complete the raising of Kirkpatrick Road.

Barry said work began last week on the Tīniroto Rd Bluffs.

Some difficulties had arisen from drivers who made it to the work site but had to be turned back.

Work was due to start this week to remove overhanging elements of the third bluff but work had stopped because of the weather.

Barry said 80 bridges had been damaged.

Staff were working with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and he was confident a couple of bridges would be funded.

“We need to show intent. We think the community needs to see action in this area.

Some bridges were unlikely to meet NZTA business-case requirements.

About 30 bridges with minor damage had been repaired at a cost of $1m. Thirty-seven per cent of the more seriously damaged bridges had been repaired.

Barry said there were 400-odd bridges that did not fail.

Because of future levels of NZTA funding, the council would be “in the seat” to what would happen.

“That’s going to be a level-of-service decision in my view.”

District councillor Colin Telfer asked about insuring bridges.

Chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said the decision had been made only to insure the Gladstone Rd and Peel Street bridges because of the expense.

The cost today would be significant, but it was a matter the council should look at.

Barry said the council should look at the bridges that did not fail to potentially make the others more robust.

Only 2 per cent of council’s bridge stock had been lost “yet we are unable to fund it”.

“Knowing how they failed now, there could be relatively low-cost interventions worth making in lieu of insurance.

The council needed discussions about targeted rates and other funding possibilities, he said.

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