Whanganui's Mosston Rd closure has residents worried about a truck accident

Heavy traffic will not be able to use Mosston Rd to get to Castlecliff for the next six or seven weeks due to stormwater work in the Westbourne manufacturing zone.

Residents in the Mosston Rd area fear there will be a serious accident while truckies get to grips with a temporary detour.

Several roads in the Mosston and Castlecliff area are closed for six or seven weeks while stormwater pipes to Westbourne manufacturing zone in Mill Rd/Manuka St are upgraded.

There is no heavy vehicle access from State Highway 3 to Castlecliff via Mosston Rd, with trucks required to use Heads Rd and Liffiton St instead. Trucks travelling west can still access businesses and properties on Mosston Rd as far as Mill Rd.

"They've put a sign up just before the Fox/Mosston Rds corner saying no trucks allowed down Mosston Rd," a local resident said.

"The trucks are coming up to the corner and stopping dead and other trucks are overtaking them. Then they're trying to back up and turn around. We've been sitting here watching them. There's going to be a big accident.

"The signs should be down by Tayforth Rd to warn them. I don't know why they are coming this way. They should be directing traffic down Springvale Rd to London St."

Whanganui District Council has installed a series of temporary signs about the detour.

There is a sign on SH3 before Montgomery Rd advising truck drivers to detour via SH3 and Heads Rd. Further signs are positioned along Montgomery Rd and before the Tayforth Rd intersection.

The detour for northbound trucks travelling from Castlecliff is via Puriri St and Alma Rd to SH3.

A Whanganui District Council spokeswoman said the closure was signposted at every intersection on Mosston Rd.

All carriers had been notified through trucking bodies such as Heavy Haulage and NZ Transport Agency, she said.

On Thursday afternoon the council's infrastructure team confirmed that all the signs on the route had been correctly placed but it was decided to put up some additional signs.

In addition to the heavy traffic detour, until December 31 there is access for residents only to the section of Mosston Rd between Ruapehu St and Titoki St.

Kowhai St is closed at the Mosston Rd end with access for residents from Miro St.