Mayor welcomes work done on SH43, but says much more needed

One of the slips on SH43, pictured just after the June 2015 storm.

Stratford Mayor Neil Volzke says he was "pleasantly surprised" by NZTA last week.

The Mayor, who is known for his continued lobbying regarding the state of the district's highways, says a trip along SH43, better known as the Forgotten World Highway last week, came with an unexpected surprise.

"As I drove from Stratford to Whangamomona I came across a number of NZTA work crews undertaking significant repairs, maintenance and safety improvements on the highway.

"I was particularly pleased to see some of the underslips from the June 2015 storms are at last being repaired."

Neil says while it has taken four years for these underslips to be repaired, he is pleased they are finally getting attention.

"Maybe there is some truth to the saying the squeaky wheel gets the oil!"

The repairs won't mark the end of Neil's persistent campaigning regarding SH43 however.

"There is still the need for the remaining 12km of road on that stretch of highway to be sealed. A lot of work has gone into a business case for this and we expect the final report to come out soon."

Neil says sealing the road will facilitate tourism growth in the district.

"The next step will be to try and secure funding for this critical project. The Forgotten World Highway is a key part of the Taranaki Economic Development Strategy and attracting tourists and visitors is essential to diversifying our region's economy. Sealing the road is a vital enabler for that to happen."