Editorial: Patience needed for necessary roadworks

Progress is already evident on Lake Rd with major roadworks under way set to turn the busy Rotorua stretch into a four-lane thoroughfare.

But progress rarely comes without some pain.

There's no doubt the roadworks will be a pain for many Rotorua motorists and for the businesses trying to minimise the impact of the major roadworks on their Lake Rd doorstep. Ultimately, however, they will surely be pleased with the finished product. It should be a much improved road and the removal of the rather narrow railway bridge, which is no longer needed, will certainly be a major improvement.

A better road should mean better access into and out of businesses, smoother motoring and better traffic flow.

The next major part of the work will be the removal of the rail bridge and this will cause major disruption to all who use, live on and do business on Lake Rd because it means the road will need to be closed for a few weeks at least.

Traffic will be diverted through Koutu and this will mean a big increase of traffic through that built-up area.

Roadworks crews do the best they can to keep roads useable during major works but sometimes, as in the case of the Lake Rd bridge removal phase, this is not possible and we will simply have to accept it.

Like it or not, our patience is required when such major roadworks are undertaken. It's a necessary evil.

That piece of road has been in dire need of improvement for many years. Now it's finally being done, we all have to be patient and think of the end result. We'll be grateful for it when it's finished.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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