South Taranaki's Waiinu Beach to get new all-weather access road

An extension of Nukumaru Station Rd to Waiinu Beach will avoid the fragile Limeworks Bridge over the Waitōtara River. Photo / supplied

Farmer David Pearce will sleep better on nights with heavy rain now that construction of a road from Nukumaru to Waiinu Beach is set to begin.

Three previous floods in the Waitōtara River have weakened the Limeworks Bridge on Waiinu Beach Rd, temporarily closing it to vehicles. On each occasion Pearce allowed alternative access across his Longview Farm.

It was very inconvenient for him, but it was the only access option for the 70 Waiinu Beach residents and the staff of Silver Fern Farms' Waitōtara meatworks.

After the 2015 flood the sagging bridge was "hauled back into place". It is weakened but its weight limit still allows it to carry loaded stock trucks to the meatworks.

Construction of the road will begin from the Waiinu end. A new intersection will be needed at the point where the laneway to Snapper Rock turns off Waiinu Beach Rd.

The extension to existing Nukumaru Station Rd runs along the eastern boundary of Pearce's farm. Having the road there will be a great relief to him.

"I will be able to sleep now, when it rains heavily. There was always anxiety," he said.

South Taranaki District Council community and infrastructure services group manager Fiona Aitken said Taranaki Civil Construction had been contracted to build the road.

Construction will begin in two weeks, and last for a year.

The $7 million cost will be paid by the Government as one of the "shovel ready" projects agreed to in July last year. On June 21 Ngā Rauru people met at Nukumaru's Tauranga Ika Marae for an update on the project.

The road has been planned since 2016. It was held up by a 2018 appeal to the Environment Court by organic dairy farmer Diana Handley, who did not want to lose her land.

Her loss had been reduced to less than 2ha, Aitken said, and the court imposed environmental conditions.

Construction of the road will start at its seaward end while final matters are settled with Handley.

The total length of the road will be 8.1km, with a 6m carriageway. It will be used by up to 500 vehicles a day.

The future of the Limeworks Bridge was uncertain, Aitken said.

"We monitor and do condition assessments on it all the time. It may end up having stricter weight restrictions in the future."

South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon will turn the first sod at 9.30am on Tuesday, June 22, at the Waiinu Beach end.